Finding Home
by libraryamy
Summary: Post-Hogwarts minus epilogue. Draco  slightly OOC  has been away from wizarding London for 10 years & the world has gone on without him. Can he find a place to call home, finally heal, & help a damaged friend heal too? Rating M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing but the plot. First story ever written for fanfic. Please read & review.

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As he strolled down the sidewalk, the amount of change to his old haunting ground was almost overwhelming. There were many wizards and witches out in the afternoon sun, smiling and nodding, clustered in little groups chattering and laughing. Stores had brightly striped awnings and baskets of flowers charmed to never wilt in front, giving all of Diagon Alley an even more carnival like atmosphere than ever before. In all of his years, Draco Malfoy had never been witness to so much happiness, so much peace and calm in everyday life. It had been ten years since he last set foot in any part of wizarding London, and since he had never been one to embrace change, this was close to being too much for him.

He noticed that people treated him differently now. Wizards no longer stepped aside either out of fear or respect, as he made his way through the neighborhood. Others made eye contact with him, as if they believed they were his peers. This was another change he didn't like, and while he would like to think that it was because people didn't recognize him and not due to any other reason, he didn't want to think about it. If he were honest with himself, the time away from London had been very good for him. Of course he was, in his opinion, still devastatingly handsome. Taller and broader, he had outgrown his lanky teenage years and turned into a man who moved with an almost feline prowess. _It was because they didn't recognize him_, he thought, trying to convince himself that it was true.

There were two things that Draco used as his coping mechanisms when he felt out of sorts – the company of beautiful single women, and flying. It was the middle of a brightly lit Saturday afternoon, and looking around the crowds of the witches flitting about the neighborhood, he realized that the former was in scarce supply. All around him were families and couples, and fleetingly, it bothered Draco that he was alone. But only fleetingly, another thing he tried to convince himself.

_Right_, he thought, _flying then_. His longtime friend Blaise Zabini had mentioned that a former professional quidditch player had bought a partnership into the Quality Quidditch store. This retired athlete had brought with him a the idea to cast an expansion spell in the store's back room and to turn it into a state of the art space to test-fly brooms. He didn't have a broom here in London, so Draco figured that he could burn off some discomfort on testing out the newly released Firebolt 5000 before he kept his other appointments.

As Draco made his way back through the store towards the broom display, he began to get excited about trying something new, an indoor test flight of one of the fastest brooms ever created. He approached the counter and took note of the stocky man, surprisingly close to his age, in a navy polo shirt with the Puddlemere United crest across the breast pocket. _There's no accounting for taste_, thought Draco, and asked for an hour in the flying room to try the new Firebolt.

"Sorry, the test flight room is all booked for this afternoon. Private party."

Draco bristled at the idea of being turned away and replied "I'll double what they've paid. Don't you know who I am?"

"I do," sneered the store employee, "and Malfoy, times have changed. You'll find that your name doesn't have the clout it once did. Your money isn't good here."

Suddenly Draco recognized the cheeky clerk – it was that prat of a former Gryffindor quidditch captain – Oliver Wood. "Listen Wood," Draco snarled, "I can make this worth your while… your boss doesn't need to know…"

Wood snorted "Oh Malfoy, first of all, I AM one of the bosses here. Second of all…"

Wood's diatribe was interrupted by what appeared to be a small herd of redheaded urchins screeching and galloping back to the counter. "Mr. Wood! Mr. Wood! We're here for our lessons! We're so excited! Mr. Wood! Mr. Wood! When can we get started!" Four children swarmed around Wood and forced Draco back out of the way, but the two men maintained eye contact, still glaring at each other.

Wood finished his comment as Draco turned to see the silhouette of an adult figure trailing behind the pack of noisy children "… second of all, why would I take your money and risk pissing off the most beautiful witch in London?"

As the figure came further into the dimness of the store, the adult companion's identity remained hidden by the backlight of the sun. As the witch made her way closer, Draco first eyed a pair of shapely legs that were hidden all too soon under an attractive denim skirt. A snug green (_Slytherin green_ Draco hoped…) t-shirt hugged the woman's curves, and as he raised his eyes to finish off his appraisal, he groaned in disappointment when he noticed the mane of red hair and the lopsided grin on her face. Suddenly the red headed herd of children made sense to Draco – those Weasleys were never ones to practice abstinence.

Ginny laughed at the other wizard's compliment, and leaned across the counter to peck him on the cheek. "Oliver my friend, you're a flatterer. Are you ready to train the masses?" Only after her warm greeting for her friend did she turn to see the person Oliver was glaring at – and was shocked into a stunned silence.

"Weasley," Draco snapped, "I see you're carrying on your family tradition of having more children than proper, all at once it would seem. Did you have an entire litter?"

Only after his snide comment did Draco notice a fifth child; a demure young girl came from behind Weasley and proclaimed "Uncle Draco, is that you?"

The beautiful cocoa skinned girl grinned up at Draco, and her deep blue eyes pierced his conscience. He knelt down to the child's height and with great concern asked "Lila, what are you doing here? Does your father know who you're with?"

"Uncle Draco, you're silly. I don't see Daddy on Saturdays. Today Mommy let me come out with Auntie Gin, to celebrate my birthday with all of the twins!" The adorable but precocious result of his friend Blaise's unfortunate drunken one night stand with Luna Lovegood stood hand in hand with the Weasley witch, until the band of bouncing children came back "Auntie Gin, Auntie Gin – come on, come on, bring Lila – Mr. Wood says it's time to start!"

Realizing that this was no longer a place where he could buy either relief or comfort, Draco said to his goddaughter "Lila, I'll talk to your father later about this. Please behave yourself in the meantime." Then he rose, nodded curtly at the still silent and stunned witch, strode out of the store and left the chaos and caterwauling behind.

"Ginny, are you ok?" Oliver questioned with worry in his voice "It's like he cast a stupefy spell on you!"

Finally roused from her shock, Ginny visibly shook off the surprise and turned to her dear friend. "Oliver, you know what we're here for – this brood all turn six this month, and I have convinced their parents to let their Auntie Gin be the one to buy their first brooms. Let's get this started before they realize we're out numbered!"

Hours later, an afternoon had passed full of laughter and delight on everyone's part, and the children were all matched with perfect starter brooms. "Oliver, I can't thank you enough. This is going to be their best birthday to date, and today was a big part of that. Can you wrap and send the four brooms for the twins to the Burrow for tomorrow's party, and send Lila's broom to Luna's flat?"

"Absolutely Ginny, today was my pleasure. I consider it a bonus of my job to get to spend time with old friends and their families. And of course, knowing that I'm helping lay the groundwork for the next generation of great Gryffindor quidditch captains is just the icing on the cake." Oliver said with a wink. "Now where are you all off to?"

"We're going to finish our outing with some ice cream at Fortescues and then I'll floo the twins each to George and to Charlie, and drop Lila home on my way to my flat. Then I'm looking forward to some nice time to recover from a day full of flying – both on brooms and on a sugar high!" Ginny leaned in for a friendly and warm hug of thanks for her longtime friend, and rounded up her charges. As she walked away, Oliver thought to himself that it was a shame that such a beautiful woman would be spending a Saturday night alone.

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Several very long hours later, Draco emerged from his meetings at Gringots. He briefly paused on the sidewalk outside of the bank, shaking off the general discomfort from spending so much time with goblins, collecting himself and planning his next stop. He knew where he should go, but what he should do and what he wanted to do were two different things. As he resigned himself to the fate of responsibility, he was abruptly bumped off of the curb into the street.

"Oi, you two, get back here and apologize bumping into that nice wizard!" Ginny yelled at her two nephews who had raced ahead of her. She turned without realizing the identity of the wizard in question and said "I'm so sorry sir, today is an early birthday celebration for my nephews, and they're a little over excited." It was only as she completed the sentence did Ginny realize she was addressing a very annoyed Draco Malfoy.

Her nephews, John and Fred, came back and interrupted her with their chagrined apologies, "We're sorry sir."

Draco prepared to rip into the children and their aunt for their behavior when the three female children caught up with the group. Lila was holding hands with the two other young witches, but dropped their hands and ran up to him. "Uncle Draco, why do you look so angry? You know what you need? Ice cream! No one can be mad when there's ice cream! Come with us! Please oh please oh please!"

Draco looked up and caught Ginny's gaze, and the two adults stared into each other's eyes while he addressed Lila. "Oh no sweetheart, I wouldn't dream of imposing on your private party. You should celebrate with these people today, and I'll see you soon."

Ginny refused to blink first and maintaining eye contact teased him, "Oh Malfoy, make your goddaughter happy. Come on, I'll even pay. After all, what's one more in the litter?"

The little band of misfits made their way into the ice cream shop, and Ginny told the young witch behind the counter, "We'll have five of your famous birthday sundaes, a hot fudge pecan ball, and whatever this gentlemen fancies." She then turned to Draco and said, "I am going to go settle this lot into tables, and I'll be right back."

As she walked away from him to the seating area, it was now Draco's turn to be speechless. Why was Weasley being kind to him? And when did she become so beautiful? Even from behind, as she walked away, she was completely captivating.

"Sir, what would you like, sir? Sir?" Startled by the impatient young clerk, he muttered, "I'll have whatever she ordered" as he kept his eyes on Ginny. She was very good with the children, he had to hand it to her, as he watched her settle the two sets of twins into a booth, and then overheard her promise Lila that she could sit with the grownups.

She returned to him just as he was reaching for his wallet to pay out of habit. She smacked his hand away almost playfully and said "Malfoy! I told you this was my treat. Put your money away and help me carry these trays." She delivered the birthday sundaes to the table of children as he slid into the booth next to Lila. Soon Ginny returned and sat across from them. Lila was completely absorbed in her sundae, and both adults could see that she would not be much of a part of their conversation until she had licked her bowl clean. Ginny sighed just slightly and said to him, "So you've been gone, what, ten years? Where have you been? And what brings you back now, business or pleasure?"

Draco marveled inwardly at how nosy this witch was, but answered her regardless. "After the war my father decided I should spend some time in each of our continental headquarters. Two years each in Paris, Rome, Madrid, Vienna and Amsterdam. He felt it would be best for me to get a proper grasp of the reach of Malfoy Industries, as well as to separate me from the, well, questionable reputation of our family. I am back on business." _There is no pleasure left here for me_, he thought to himself, _no pleasure in what I am here for._

Ginny nodded at him with interest as she carefully savored her sugary treat. Draco had paused in the middle of his answer as he was distracted by the woman across from him licking the fudge off of her spoon. _Or maybe there __**could**__ be pleasure here_, he thought. Ginny caught the wizard watching her, and shifted uncomfortably under the brief glimmer of desire she could see in his eyes. "Please excuse me for a moment while I check on the other table," she said as she quickly slid away from his attention.

"Uncle Draco, are you coming to my birthday brunch tomorrow? It is at Posey's house."

"Yes my child, I will be there. Tell me, what can I bring you as a present?"

"Oh! Uncle Draco! You haven't bought my present yet! Shame on you!"

Draco smiled at the little beauty wagging her finger at him in mock discipline, and asked again "Tell me something that you want but that no one else will buy you, my dear. Something that only your godfather should buy you. I won't tell your daddy, and I'll say it was my idea alone."

Lila's eyes grew large, but she had an answer for him immediately "I want some of the Puffy Pets books, and any of the Puffy Pets you can find!" She squealed a little bit, and then leaned in and whispered "They sell them at the bookstore by The Leaky Cauldron."

Draco chuckled at her, realizing that these must be special items if she was willing to direct him exactly where to shop. "Done my child, tomorrow you will have some books and Puffy Pets."

"Oh thank you Uncle Draco!" Lila exclaimed and threw her arms around him.

Suddenly a white dove appeared in the shop, the well-known symbol of St. Mungo's, carrying a note for Draco. Anticipating what the message would say, Draco rose to meet the bird. After he read the message, which confirmed his fears, he nodded briefly to himself before turning to the young witch in his booth. "Lila, I am afraid I have to go. Thank you for inviting me to join you. I will see you tomorrow at your birthday brunch." He turned to Ginny and nodded a second time, and his silvery eyes held hers for a moment. "Thank you as well." With that Draco strode quickly from the store, appariting directly to the hospital once he reached the sidewalk.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I own nothing but the plot.

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After the children had finished their enormous birthday sundaes, Ginny rounded them up and started to take them home. The first stop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, was as raucous and noisy as ever. She held open the door, ushered in the pack of tiny witches and wizards, and started to look for her brother George or his wife. Scanning the crowd, her tallest and perhaps craziest sibling caught her eye. Waving to him from across the store, she shouted "See you tomorrow at the Burrow!" and watched as his twins, Fred and Colleen, raced towards their father.

George shouted back "Thanks for taking them out for today, both 'Moine and I appreciate it!"

Ginny pointed to the ceiling and shouted "Mind if I use your floo upstairs? I need to get these two back to Charlie before Angelina thinks I've kept them for good." George gave her double thumbs up and then waved as he made his way to charm another customer.

After using the floo in George and Hermione's flat to return the other young twins, John and Dora, to Charlie's cottage in Hogsmeade, Ginny and Lila decided to walk to their building. Holding hands as they walked back through Diagon Alley, they passed through the Leaky Cauldron to the muggle side of London. Both Luna and Ginny made their home in a wizard owned building about a block away from the famous wizarding shopping district. Ginny saw that Lila made it safely inside the flat she shared with her mum, and then returned to the place she called her own.

As Ginny opened the door, she was relieved to have some time to herself. As much as she loved her nieces and nephews (both blood kin and adopted), she valued her quiet time. Calling out to her two pets, "Dash, Shadow – I'm home!" she was amused as the two large cat/kneazle mixes looked up to her from the couch, each opened one eye to peer at her and then went back to sleep in their respective sunbeams. "Fat lot of good you two are as attack cats, you lazy bums," she said with a chuckle, as they ignored her completely. Ginny made herself an enormous cup of hot cocoa and decided to join her pets – planning on spending a few hours curled up in a sunbeam as well – with a good trashy novel and as much liquid chocolate as she could drink.

Unfortunately for Ginny's plans, she was thwarted fairly quickly by the distraction of a growling stomach (_Did I eat anything other than that sundae today?_ she thought). Deciding to treat herself, she put down her novel and made a floo call to the Leaky Cauldron. "Tom, It's Ginny Weasley. I'd like to place an order for a takeout Sheppard's Pie, and a big bowl of whatever your soup is today?"

"Absolutely luv, it will be ready in about 30 minutes. The misses made a fresh caramel raisin bread pudding today, would you like a serving of that too?"

"Tom, you know my sweet tooth too well. Yes please, and I'll be there soon. I'm coming on foot."

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After a particularly trying time at St. Mungos, Draco wanted little more than to go home and collapse. However, he had made a promise to Lila, and it was one he was going to keep. He apparated into Diagon Alley and tried to make his way to the bookstore that she had told him was by the Leaky Cauldron. When he got to the end of the alley, he scratched his head in confusion – there was no bookstore anywhere near the pub. He walked the streets with growing agitation; the only bookstore he could find was Flourish and Blotts. _This has not been my day_, Draco thought to himself, _I need a drink_. Draco made his way back to the pub and ordered a firewhiskey. When the barkeep brought his drink, Draco asked, "Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to know of a bookstore near this pub? I was told that there was one next door."

Tom scratched his chin and thought for a second and then said "ah, yes – on the muggle side, there is a large bookstore over there," pointing to the left "but if you're going over you'd better hurry, they close early on Saturdays and open late on Sunday."Draco downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, nodded his thanks, threw down some coins and raced out the door.

Fortunately for Draco, the Puffy Pet phenomenon was a big deal among young female muggles, so it was easy for him to find the display of books, stuffed animals and a wide variety of related accessories, right inside the front window of the store. It looked like a giant ate an enormous amount of pink spun sugar mixed with confetti and threw it up all over the aisles, Draco noted with a sneer. Crouching down, he decided to go through the books first. "Hannah Hippo Learns to Help," "Tanya Tiger Teaches Teamwork," "Kindness for Katie Kitten," _Oh Merlin_, Draco thought, _these are all absolutely horrible_. He couldn't buy these for his goddaughter, no matter how much she might want them. He turned to the stuffed animals and began to sort through the pastel fluffy child sized animals instead. _Kittens, lambs, puppies, no, no no_, he muttered as he sorted through the display.

As Draco was sorting unsuccessfully through the juvenile books, Ginny had paid for her dinner and was walking back to her flat, carrying her takeout charmed with a warming charm. A pale blond head crouching in front of the Puffy Pet display in the muggle bookstore caught her eye, and she thought, _that can only be one person_. Sure enough, Malfoy straightened up holding a purple stuffed lizard, a pink stuffed snake, and a light blue eagle. Ginny knocked on the window of the bookstore and wagged her finger at him, shook her head no, and mouthed, "Hold on a second."

Seconds later, Draco was face to face with the Weasley witch again. _I am in no mood for confrontation after the afternoon I've had_, Draco grumbled under his breath to himself.

"Malfoy! Fancy meeting you three times in one day!" Ginny cheerfully exclaimed, as if to intentionally grate on his nerves. "You're not buying those for Lila are you?"

"No Weasley, I suddenly have a dire need for small furry stuffed animals. They give my life purpose. Of course I'm buying them for Lila."

"Well you can't" she retorted.

"Weasley, I am in absolutely no mood for you right now. Why can't I buy these for her? It is what she asked for."

"Dra-a-co," Ginny drew his name out slowly, carefully and with deliberate kindness "her father is a Slytherin, just as you were, as you well know. She already has the most Slytherin-like animals in the collection. She also has the yellow raven from her mother, and the light green lion from me. I'm sad to say that all that you've got left to get her are the truly sissy animals." Draco groaned at her response and she giggled at him. "What's the matter Draco, are you not man enough to buy a peach colored penguin or an aqua lamb? Do you perhaps need to learn a little kindness from a kitten?" she teased as she waved the book in his face.

"Gin-er-va," Draco replied, also saying her name slowly, carefully but with a deliberate mocking drawl, "I do not need to learn kindness from a kitten or any other animal. I am perfectly capable of being kind."

Ginny snorted at him, but handed him the lamb, penguin, and a giraffe for good measure, "Here Draco, just buy these." She bent down and quickly flipped through the picture books and grabbed ones featuring a bashful boar, a studious snail, and a friendly fox, and handed them to the tall man who towered over her. "And here, she doesn't have these books yet either." She rose and turned to him, staring him directly in his silver eyes, "I am sorry that I took up some of your precious, precious time, but I thought I could save you the wrath of a six year old. I see now that I shouldn't have bothered." She began to turn to walk away from him when he grabbed her arm.

"Ginevra, please accept my apology. I have had a stressful day, no, make that a stressful return to London period, and I am simply tired. I do appreciate your help. Please let me pay for these items that you were kind enough to pick out and let me walk you out."

"While I accept your apology, I can go on my own. I don't live far from here and I don't need an escort."

"Please, just let me be a gentleman," he said with such pleading in his eyes and sag to his shoulders, she realized that the fight had gone out of him for the evening.

"Oh, fine then. If you can stand to be seen with me for a block or two," she conceded, with a tiny smirk.

Draco paid for the gifts with the muggle money he kept on hand in case of such situations and met Ginny in the front of the store. "Shall we?" he asked as he offered her his arm, a subconscious habit he fell into when escorting a witch after dark.

Startled, Ginny took his arm and said, "I live just at the end of the block, there in that building," pointing down the street.

As Ginny touched his arm, Draco felt a tingle and a spark under the warmth of her hand. It gave him pause, as it was a surprisingly pleasant feeling, one he did not anticipate. This woman, as beautiful as she was, had been his enemy for much of his life. It wasn't as bad as say, Granger touching him, if you had offered to bet Draco the family fortune that he'd be spending a Saturday night escorting the princess of Gryffindor home from a muggle bookstore, he'd have thought you insane. As they walked down the street in a mutual silence, Draco thought to himself that this was the calmest and least stressed he had felt since returning to London, and it made him slightly uneasy to realize it was the presence of this woman that had such an effect on him.

For Ginny, she too was startled by how warm he felt by her side, and what a comfort it was to have him escorting her home. It was a degree of comfort she had not felt in close to eight years, not since her heartbreak. Shaking off the dark thoughts of her failed relationship, Ginny turned to Draco as they arrived in front of her building. "Thank you for escorting me. This is a wizard owned building, despite it being here in muggle London. If you wish to apparate or floo home, you can do either from the lobby."

He came in with her and prepared to apparate home, as he watched her wait for the lift. "Thank you again Ginevra." She lifted her hand in a little wave to him as the doors to the lift closed and whisked her away from him.

As the lift doors closed, he caught a whiff of the meal she was carrying and it occurred to him that he hadn't eaten since the interruption at the ice cream shop, and that he was hungry. Then he noticed that her warmth had left him as well, and realized that there was a second, more primal sort of hunger that he felt.

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A bit shorter than the first, but I guess my brain can only do two scenes in a sitting. Next chapter will be the birthday brunch and party at the Burrow. Thank you for those of you who have subscribed. As I said, this is my first fic, so I really have no idea what I'm doing. Any feedback (good or bad) is welcome. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N I own nothing but the plot.

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"NO, YOU WILL NOT HURT HER!" Draco roared, aiming his wand at a dark figure wearing the mask of a Death Eater, as he threw himself in front of his mother. A curse shot from his wand and hit the retreating back of one of the remaining followers of the Dark Lord, seeking vengeance for the lie that led to their leader's downfall. Despite blocking the woman he loved more than anyone else with his body, the curse soared over his head and dealt a fatal blow to the pale beauty. Draco knelt down to hold her in his arms, crying, tears streaming down his face, "I am so sorry mother, I have failed you yet again. I am so very sorry."

She shuddered and coughed in pain, and whispered to her son "Draco, you could never fail me. Always remember I loved you best" and then she faded from consciousness.

Draco cradled her slight form in his arms, sobbing, rocking, "I love you, what will I do without you?" He raised his head to look upon her body, crying again "What will I do without you?" and suddenly the body shifted from a pale blonde to one with a shock of red hair. Draco woke up with a lung-clearing gasp, realizing that Ginevra Weasley had infiltrated his nightmare.

_What the hell?_ He thought to himself_. I've only seen her three times and she's in my dreams?_ He rolled over in his massive bed and realized that he was aroused as well. _What the __**bloody**__ hell? Really?_ His subconscious had turned his nightly reliving of his worst failure into the time for a hard on?

Draco had woken with the same strangled scream every morning since he had returned to London, and had not managed a full night's sleep in weeks. He had not slept a night in Malfoy Manor since the day the Dark Lord fell, since he had helplessly witnessed his mother's murder after his family had returned from the battle at Hogwarts. As soon as Lucius took stock of the situation, he had sent Draco away, claiming it was for his safety. His mother had been cremated, and a private memorial service had been held in Paris.

Draco rubbed his eyes and accepted yet again that any additional sleep was not in the cards for him that morning, especially if his subconscious was going to start throwing gorgeous redheads at him. He stumbled to the shower, deciding to go with a nice long cold one, and got ready for his day. After he had dressed in casual black slacks and a gray polo and had his morning coffee, he grabbed the beautifully wrapped package (wrapping courtesy of a gifted house elf) and flooed over to the Nott house.

Despite both being in Slytherin house during school, Draco had not been close to Theodore Nott during their years at Hogwarts. Theo had been a studious loner, whose ability to provide stability and security proved to be as attractive to Pansy Parkinson after the war as Draco's arrogance and ego had during school. While initially their marriage had not been one full of passion, it was clear to see that Theo and Pansy now felt a comfortable love and companionship with one another that few people ever find. They had a daughter, Posey, who was the same age as Lila, and the two girls were very close, almost like sisters. Blaise was not foolish enough to believe that he could parent Lila alone during his limited custody, and relied heavily on Pansy for maternal advice. After Lila had been born and the custody agreement settled, Blaise forsake his gadabout ways and bought a house on the same street as the Nott's. It was a standard arrangement that on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and every Sunday, the Zabini and Nott families would be sharing a meal at one house or the other. The only difference today was that Pansy had decorated the house as a surprise for Lila with balloons and streamers, there would be cake and presents, and Draco would be joining them.

After a delicious brunch, it was decided to move the festivities outside to the patio, since it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. While Lila had been patient through the meal, all of the adults were amused at her barely restrained excitement, so Blaise cheerfully suggested, "How about we do presents now, and cake a little later after we're hungry again?"

Lila bounced over to her father, hugged him and declared "Daddy, thank you, you're the best!" The first gift was a token one from Blaise, a small silver vanity set including a mirror, brush and comb.

While Draco admired his friend's restraint in gift giving, Lila said "Thank you Daddy, these will be perfect in my redecorated bedroom!"

"Ah, your secret has been spilled my friend!" Draco chuckled, "Did you think you could keep her true present quiet? You've always been known for your generosity."

Blaise blushed just a little and retorted "There is nothing too good for my daughter."

Lila moved to the gift from the Notts, which included a small cauldron and a basic supply set for beginner potion making. Posey could barely contain herself once the gift was open, "Mommy said I can have one for my birthday too, and then we can practice potions together!"

Lila thanked each of the Notts with a hug, and then moved on to Draco's gift. As she came to see that he had indeed gotten her exactly what she had asked for, she could barely contain her excitement. "Uncle Draco – you found the Puffy Pets I asked for! Even Gertie Giraffe! She's very hard to find! Thank you so much, this is the best birthday ever!" And with that proclamation, threw herself into Draco's arms.

It was Blaise's turn to harass his friend, "Really Draco, muggle toys? How did you pull that off? Finding her the perfect rare toy and all."

As the girls ran out to the yard to play with her new muggle toys, Draco admitted, "I had a little help. I ran into Ginevra Weasley a few times yesterday and she was kind enough to guide me in the right direction."

Blaise snorted, out of earshot of the young witches "I'd like to guide that one in the right direction. Merlin did she turn into one good looking witch."

"Blaise, you're impossible. What will you do if someone speaks of Lila like that someday?" asked Pansy.

Theo played peacekeeper, steering the conversation elsewhere and said, "She's very highly spoken of at the firm. (_I bet she is_, both Blaise and Draco thought to themselves.) She is in charge of all of our legal and competitive research. Apparently she took a liking to a lot of the research and tactics she honed during her time in the student uprising at Hogwarts, and has put it to a more practical use. I don't know what the firm would do without her."

Draco was curious, "So she isn't still with Potter then? She fought by his side, and it was a common assumption that they'd end up together, producing scads of redheaded babies. When I saw her in Diagon Alley she had four other children with her besides Lila." _Though_, Draco thought, _they did all call her Auntie Gin, didn't they?_

Pansy leaned in, relishing dishing dirt like she had back in school, "No, those were her brothers' children. Probably George and Charlie, they live the closest. We were all expecting around the same time and saw them in childbirth classes. She and Potter broke up a few years after school. Around the same time Granger broke up with her brother. No one knows what happened or why it ended, but it must have been bad because her whole family severed ties from him. Except for her brother, the sidekick, but I hear he coaches quidditch at Durmstrang now."

"Very interesting. Blaise is right though; she's easy on the eyes. I can't believe in all those years no other wizard has snatched her up," Draco mused.

Theo recognized a glint in Draco's eyes, one that showed his interest as a Malfoy to possess something shiny and new that others couldn't have. "I wouldn't even bother trying that Drake, she's got a reputation around the office that she'll only go out on two dates with a bloke, and then she's done with them."

Blaise sat down his glass and asked, "Ok, enlighten me, what in Merlin's beard does that mean?"

Pansy snorted and said "Well that shows the sort of women you've been keeping company with. All well raised witches know that you don't sleep with a wizard before the third date." Though with that statement she shot daggers at Draco with her eyes, reminding him to keep their mutual past out of her very happy present.

"Ah then, if she's a prude and doesn't put out, I'll leave her to you Draco," Blaise declared. "I don't have time these days with Lila to invest serious time into wooing someone to find out that they're frigid."

Draco had been silent, absorbing all of this new information. Thinking about how warm Ginny had felt on his arm, he convinced himself, _there is NO way that witch is a prude. She just hasn't found the right wizard yet. _ _The problem was_, Draco pondered, _am I anyone's right wizard, let alone hers? _

Pansy interrupted his quiet contemplation as she rose with the announcement, "Ok, now who wants cake?"

XXXXX

Ginny looked up into the depths of a pair of silvery eyes, as long fingers cupped her face. "Ginevra, please accept my apology," Draco purred, as he leaned in and pressed his warm lips softly upon hers. She stretched up into the kiss and as he increased pressure, she moaned slightly in response. He took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth and gently explore the warmth inside her. As they broke the kiss, both gasping for breath, Ginny looked up to meet his eyes, and recoiled when he opened them and they were a piercing green. He repeated, "Ginevra, please accept my apology," in a voice that was only half Draco's. Leaning in, breathing in her scent and running his fingers through her hair, the man gripped the back of her head as the perfectly kemp pale blonde hair darkened to a familiar messy brown. The pressure Harry pushed upon her skull increased as he stated again "Ginny, please accept my apology. Ginny, I would never hurt you on purpose. Ginny, please forgive me."

Ginny woke up with a start and sat straight up in bed. _Damn it, he's been gone eight years and he still haunts me. The bastard._ She flung the covers aside, startling both Shadow and Dash, and stalked over to her bathroom. _And he ruined a perfectly good sex dream. Admittedly a sex dream about Malfoy, which I really don't want to analyze right now, but still, why can't I be rid of him? _Normally she spent Sunday mornings doing some personal pampering, taking a leisurely bubble bath, changing the color on her nails, and spending a little time with her special rubber duckie. (A few years ago, sick of hearing both Luna and Ginny complain about the dearth of good wizards, Hermione had taken the girls on a field trip to a muggle adult store, where she introduced them to the amazing ways female muggles could pleasure themselves. Ginny had bought the vibrating rubber duck as a joke, but after so long without a wizard in her life, her duckie was a literal blessing in disguise.) Unfortunately the dream of Harry had put Ginny in a foul mood, and she felt the need to take as hot of a shower as possible, to scrub away the dirty feelings she woke up with. With her mood only slightly improved after her shower, Ginny got dressed and flooed over to the Burrow.

Almost all of the Weasley children and their families returned home each week for Molly's famous Sunday dinner, but this week was special. Both sets of her twin grandchildren were turning six this week, and every day Molly counted her blessings that her family had remained as intact as it had. There were still holes gaping in everyone's heart where they missed Fred, and there was a general discomfort when anyone's thoughts flickered to either Ron or Harry, but Molly acknowledged that she was blessed. Compared to other families, they had suffered fewer casualties in the war, and in the subsequent years almost all of her children had married and started to give her another generation of redheads to love.

Ginny emerged from the floo in the living room, and could hear, but not yet see, that the majority of her family had already arrived. Judging by the chattering in close proximity, her mother, Hermione, and Angelina were in the kitchen, while everyone else was outside.

Ginny entered the kitchen with a forced cheerful "Hello everyone, how can I help?"

Molly made her way across the room to embrace her youngest, and clucked at her "Dear, you look peaked, did you sleep ok?"

"Just a bit of a bad dream mum, nothing to worry about." Hermione shot her a look across the room and Ginny mouthed, "We'll talk later."

"Well, I am a lucky man to have four beautiful witches in my kitchen," Arthur declared as he came into the house. "Ladies, the tables are set up and I'm not sure that we'll be able to hold the young ones back from their birthday feast much longer."

"All right girls, everyone grab a platter and let's start this celebration!" Molly crowed. Each of the four witches helped levitate enormous platters of food and drink, and placed them on a makeshift buffet in the back yard.

Ginny looked around as the little families settled in among the larger party. Her parents were at the center, both of the table and the family, looking as deeply in love as ever. At one end George and Hermione settled their twins in, while at the other Charlie and Angelina settled in theirs. Squashed into the spaces between were Percy and Neville, who had finally made their relationship permanent after years of shy but mutual admiration from afar, and then Ginny alone. Bill and Fleur were unable to make the trip, due to Fleur being close to her delivery date and it being too far to floo safely in her condition. No one really ever felt comfortable bringing up the other three missing men, though Fred's presence was missed the most.

As everyone settled in to eat, little conversations sprouted up around the table. Charlie and Neville theorized about the upcoming year at Hogwarts, where they were both professors. Percy, Hermione and Arthur discussed the different goings on at the Ministry from their various departments, and George and Angelina bantered about which branch of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was doing better, his in Diagon Alley or hers in Hogsmeade. That left Molly and Ginny to tend to the twins, and that frankly suited them both just fine. After lunch, presents were opened, and the majority of the family decided it was time to see both sets of twins in action on their new brooms. Arthur led the pack out to the orchard, while Neville helped Molly clean up. Hermione leaned in to Ginny and whispered, "I could go for a nice lie down in the hammock, how about it? You can tell me about your dream."

Ginny and Hermione laid opposite each other in the hammock, feet to head of each other, and Ginny gently pushed off to start a sway. She rested her head against her best friend's calves and sighed, "It was a dream about Harry. That's all. It started as a perfectly good dream about someone else, and it ended as it always did, with him trying to force me into accepting his apology."

Hermione nodded, "I completely understand, you know I do, more than anyone else. I still have dreams of Ron; I'd be lying if I told you otherwise. But I thank Merlin every day that George was there to pick up the pieces for me. I just wish you had someone there for you."

"'Moine, you know that there's a big difference there. You had so much you could still give to George. I mean, look at the twins. I don't have anything like that, I'm broken, and I don't think there's a wizard out there that would want what I have."

"Ginny, look at you, you're beautiful and smart and funny and kind. Somewhere out there, there IS a wizard for you, for every single bit of you. Broken or not. But let's move on to different things, tell me about this other person that your perfectly good dream was about?"

Ginny sighed with chagrin, "Oh Merlin 'Mione, I'm not sure I want to talk about that either. Let's just put it this way, Draco Malfoy is back in London."

Hermione began to laugh so hard that she started to cough, and would have upset the hammock had Molly not shown up with a stable hand. She and Neville both pulled up chairs and joined the conversation. Ginny glared at Hermione as if to say _don't you dare bring up my sex dream about Draco Malfoy in front of my mother._

"What was that you were saying Ginny, who is back in London?" Neville asked.

"Oh, I bumped into Draco Malfoy three times yesterday. First at the quidditch shop, I thought Oliver was going to throttle him! Then Lila invited him along for ice cream, but he had to apparate away when a dove from St. Mungos arrived."

"Ah yes," Molly clucked, "He must be back because of Lucius. I hear that he isn't doing well at all. One of the girls in my knitting circle mentioned that he had to be moved to a special ward on Saturday afternoon."

"That must have been when Draco left the ice cream shop," Ginny mused, "He told me that he was in town for business. It's sort of sad that he considers his father dying a business matter."

"It is sad," Hermione agreed, "but you know the Malfoys. They have a different idea of business and family than the rest of us."

"That's just the thing," Ginny commented, "I don't think I know Malfoy anymore. I mean it's been ten years. You should see him with Lila. I think being away from Lucius has changed him. He was, well, almost kind. The third time I saw him was at the muggle bookstore! He was buying muggle toys for Lila, and then he escorted me back to my building. He wasn't any more snarky than I was, and I think that being back is hard on him."

Molly looked up from her knitting and gazed at her beautiful but single daughter. She softened her voice and said, "Ginny love, people are full of surprises. I think this family knows that better than most, and you best of all that people aren't always who you think they are. So none of us should judge Draco based on who he was, or who his father was, during the war. Look at our family; none of us would have predicted we'd be the way we are now. Now, enough of this melancholy - today is a day to celebrate!" She rose from her chair and clapped her hands, exclaiming loud enough that the group flying above could hear her, "Ok, now who wants cake?"

XXXXX

A/N Thank you for reading, and very very special thanks to those of you who alert/reviewed. It helps to know I'm not just typing into cyberspace. :)

Next chapter: Draco sees Ginny at work, and solves a mystery for Blaise.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

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Theo recapped their meeting as he rose from his desk, "Alright, I will be your lead council and coordinate the whole effort. We will need to pull in experts in inheritance, real estate, charitable contributions, and corporate employment. How does Thursday afternoon sound for our first meeting with the entire team?"

Draco stretched his long legs and rose from his chair opposite Theo, "Thursday will be fine, that will give me a day or so to start the effort on my end."

"Fantastic, let me see you out," Theo gestured as they made their way from his office.

As the two wizards made their way into the center atrium of the firm, Draco noticed three legal wizards pretending to have an impromptu meeting over the water cooler. However, he recognized good old-fashioned ogling when he saw one and allowed his eyes to follow their sightline across the open space. On the opposite side of the building, Draco could see a pair of dangerously high heels teetering on a ladder in front of a bookcase. Shapely toned calves led to a tight tweed skirt that would have been impossible to walk in if it weren't for a frilly kick pleat in the back. As the witch began to descend the ladder the wizards continued to appreciate the curves of her body, accented by a white blouse with bell sleeves that flowed out of a snug argyle vest. His gaze rose higher and then he groaned when he noticed the ponytail of bright red hair gathered low at the nape of her neck. _I am really going to have to learn to start objectifying women from the top down_, he thought.

"Merlin," one of the wizards next to him moaned, "I think she keeps the most useful books on the top shelves so that she can do that to us on purpose."

Despite his conscious groan when he had realized the shapely researcher was Weasley, when Draco heard the other wizard's comment his inner voice growled _mine, not his, mine_. As Theo tugged on his elbow to move him along, Draco looked at his friend and lawyer and said, "I really should go thank Miss Weasley for her _assistance_ on Saturday evening."

Theo rolled his eyes, knowing that Draco's thinly veiled inference was for the benefit of the other three wizards, and said, "Fine, see yourself out. I'll see you on Thursday."

The door of the research center opened to a brightly lit room with each wall covered from floor to ceiling with bookcases, save for a window on the outside wall. Ginny's desk was at an angle in the far corner, but she had chosen to spread her research out across a larger conference table in the middle of the room. She was engrossed in her work, deep in thought while sucking on the tip of her quill.

Draco leaned against the doorframe nonchalantly and asked, "Does that work better when you suck on it?"

"Most things do, I've found," she absentmindedly replied without looking up.

"Well if that's the case, I've got a theory I'd like to test,' he drawled.

She looked up and gasped, her cheeks and tips of her ears turning pink in embarrassment. "Draco! Oh, ah, um, I didn't realize it was you!"

"Do you generally talk about sucking things with just anyone who stops by, or am I a special case?" he teased.

"Oh, um, no, er, I just thought you were one of the guys," as she gestured with a wave towards the three wizards who were now glaring at him from across the atrium. "They're my work buddies, we just tease each other, it doesn't mean anything," she rushed to explain.

_She has no idea the effect she has on the opposite sex, even her "buddies,"_ he thought to himself, _and Merlin that's dangerous._

Her voice brought him back from the beginning of lascivious thoughts, "Is there something I can help you with? Did your meeting with Theo go so poorly that you've come to take it out on me?"

"Ginevra, you automatically think the worst of me," Draco purred. "What I am here to do is to invite you out to lunch, to thank you for your help on Saturday. Lila was thrilled with her gifts and I have you to thank for that."

"There's no need to thank me, I really did it for Lila. Birthdays should be special days, not ones of disappointment, especially as a child, right?"

"I wouldn't know, birthdays weren't a big deal in my family. However, it is a beautiful day and you have to eat anyway, correct? So please, join me." Ginny sighed and Draco took that as a sign that she was going to give in, so the side of his mouth began to lift partway to his trademark expression.

"I usually eat at my desk, especially on Tuesdays. But I have hit a block and maybe you're right, a bit of a break might open me up to a breakthrough."

"Live dangerously Miss Weasley," Draco smirked with his success and offered her his arm. As they walked out of the firm, he heard one of the three wizards lurking around the water cooler still, mutter to the other two, "She never goes out to lunch, especially on Tuesdays!"

XXXXX

As they were seated at an outdoor table in front of a bistro that Ginny chose (due to the proximity to her office) in muggle London, Draco smirked again at the flustered witch across from him. "So tell me Miss Weasley, what is so special about Tuesdays?"

"I try to leave work on time on Tuesdays, since I take a class with Luna and Hermione in the evening."

"Really, what sort of class? While I always figured Granger as one for 'life long learning,' you and Lovegood surprise me."

"Well, if you must know, it is a yoga class. And why does that surprise you about me?"

Draco snorted a bit as he had been ready to take a drink of his tea, "A **what** sort of class?"

"A yoga class, it's a muggle sort of exercise. A few years ago 'Mione and I were having some problems dealing with stress, and her mum suggested we try it. Luna joined in with us a few years later after Lila had been born. It's a good way to stay centered."

"Wait, so you're telling me that the three of you do this _every_ week? I can't wait to tell Blaise, he's thought all these years that Lovegood has a hot date every week."

"Oh no, Draco, _please_ don't say anything to Blaise. I don't think she intentionally keeps anything from him, but you know how she is. I think that if she wanted him to know, she'd have told him." Ginny shrugged, "Luna leaves a lot of things vague on purpose."

Draco tapped his fingers together as he pondered how he could gain the upper hand further in this situation, as he did enjoy the pleading tone in her voice. "Well Ginevra, how about I promise not to _tell_ Blaise anything, but in exchange for that promise, I'll need something from you."

"Malfoy, can't you just be a civil wizard for once, and not lord yourself over people?"

"Unlikely, but instead of making a demand of you now, I'm just going to lord that you owe me a favor over you for a bit. I think I'll enjoy that more."

"I thought this lunch was to thank, not torture me," Ginny sighed as the waitress came to take their orders. The muggle woman flirted with Draco shamelessly as if Ginny wasn't even there, which made her a bit uncomfortable if she was honest with herself.

When she left them again, Draco continued with his inquiries. "Well then Miss Weasley, I assume that since you are still a Miss, that none of those children with you on Saturday were yours?"

"The twins? No, they belong to my brothers. Fred and Colleen are George and Hermione's, named after our other brother and Colin Creevey, and then John and Dora are Charlie and Angelina's, named after Professor Lupin and your cousin Tonks. They're all the same age as Lila, give or take a day or two."

"So one of the twins and Granger then, how did that happen? I had figured her red headed progeny would be Ron's."

"They broke up a few years after we graduated, and it's none of your business why."

"I take it then you will tell me the same thing if I ask about you and Potter?"

Ginny stiffened, sat up rod straight and said, "If you continue that line of inquiry, I will leave the table. I told you, I thought this lunch was to thank me, not an inquisition."

Draco threw up his hands teasingly in mock surrender, "Calm down Ginevra, I will change the subject. Tell me, how did your birthday celebrations go then?"

Ginny relaxed just slightly, and replied, "Our Sundays at the Burrow are always nice. The birthday party was everything that we could have hoped for. And the new brooms went over extremely well. Our whole family has long been fans of flying and quidditch, so it was an honor to buy their first brooms."

"Remind me then, your brother Charlie used to be a dragon keeper? Is he still?"

"No, after Hagrid retired he took over magical creatures at Hogwarts. He'd been there about a term when he and Oliver had the idea to begin the annual alumni quidditch tournament as a fundraiser to rebuild the quidditch pitch. It was during planning the first year that he met Angelina, and they've been together since. Say, why is it that you've never played in the tournament? We're a bit shy on Slytherin teams what with a lot of the older alumni being well, _unavailable_. It would be great to have some real competition for once. Some of the younger alumni teams are getting better, but it seems every year it's our old team with George, Oliver and Angelina, versus Charlie's team. It's getting a bit old."

"I've never heard of it until now. Perhaps the great Oliver Wood intentionally forgot to invite me?"

"No, I don't think that's the case. Believe me, even if it were true in the beginning, I think Oliver is enough of a competitor that he'd welcome your presence at this point. We're all getting a little tired of Charlie and Angelina using the championship game as a bit of public foreplay. Perhaps your owls were going to the manor? And your father didn't forward along the invitation?"

Draco was a bit rattled by her use of the word foreplay, as he had let his mind wander a bit into dangerous territory, and remained silent during her babbling. "So I think you should field a team this year, now that you know about the tournament. That would be brilliant. We'll just make sure the owl gets past your father this time," she teased a bit. "Draco, Draco," she waved her hand in front of him, "Are you with me? How is your father doing anyway?"

Draco returned from his pleasant fantasy at the repeated mention of his father, "My father, what do you know of my father?"

"I know that he's the reason you're back in London, and I know he's not doing well at St. Mungo's. Come on Draco, my mother could write for the Quibbler, you know people know about your father."

It was Draco's turn to sit up straight at the idea of the Malfoy family being common gossip fodder, and replied stiffly, "My father is none of your business. Now, as much as bantering with you has been a pleasure, I must be going. Until we meet again Miss Weasley." With that, Draco rose, leaving enough muggle money behind to pay the bill and tip the waitress generously, and left.

Ginny sat for a moment, forlorn that he had left so abruptly, and thought to herself, _I thought this lunch was meant to __**thank**__ me?_

XXXXX

Later that afternoon, Draco made a floo call to Blaise. "Blaise my friend, could I interest you and Lila in joining me for dinner in Diagon Alley this evening? It's a beautiful night and we could try the outdoor seating at the Leaky Cauldron."

"Draco, are you mad, the Leaky Cauldron? Your standards have fallen my friend," he chuckled.

Just then Lila bounded into the floo, "Uncle Draco!" she squealed, "I love the Leaky Cauldron! Yay! How fun," clapping her hands with excitement.

Blaise sighed with resignation, "What time should we meet you then?"

"Six o'clock and don't be late."

The trio was seated in the outdoor expansion of the pub, facing out to muggle London. As the waiter served their first course, Draco marveled yet again at how much wizarding London had changed in the years since the war, accepting more and more integration into a muggle way of life. Prior to the defeat of the Dark Lord, Tom would never have dared to seat his regular clientele amid the foot traffic of so many muggles.

Blaise made note of Draco observing the scene and said, "It seems that the prosperity after the war has touched almost every wizard family and business. Most of the muggle shops along this stretch have wizarding customers, and wizards own many of the flats surrounding Diagon Alley, such as the building Lila and her mother live in. It seems that after all these years of peace, the Alley, and many other parts of the wizarding world are expanding. There are business opportunities all around us," he smiled and gestured broadly, "for those of us savvy enough to invest well."

Just as Blaise stretched his arms, a second trio passed by the pub. "Mommy!" Lila squealed, "Auntie Gin, Auntie 'Mione!"

The three women stopped, each with a different expression on their face. Luna seemed a little surprised, but cocked her head to the side and then leaned over to give her daughter a kiss on the head. "Dearest, we're on our way to class and can't be late. Enjoy your night with Daddy and Mr. Malfoy." Hermione nodded at the two men briefly and waved at Lila as she moved to keep pace with Luna. Ginny on the other hand stood staring at the table, mouth agape, a mixture of shock and anger flitting across her eyes.

"Ginny, come on, we'll be late for class," Hermione yelled back to her, as Ginny recovered to race and catch up with the others. Just as Draco began to chuckle at his success, Ginny turned around and stuck her tongue out at Draco.

As the waiter cleared their plates and served their second course, Blaise turned to Draco and said, "Did they say they're going to a class?"

"Yes, Weasley mentioned it to me this afternoon. Some sort of muggle exercise class. I thought you might find this news interesting."

"Absolutely, considering I had thought that Luna had been seeing someone regularly for years. This is a very interesting turn of events indeed. An exercise class you say?"

"Uh-huh Daddy, mommy says that it makes her less stressed and more flexible."

Draco coughed and choked on his drink, ready to laugh at Blaise's visible reaction to his daughter's statement about flexibility.

"But I'm worried about Auntie Gin."

"Why's that sweetheart?" Blaise asked his daughter.

"I hope that mommy doesn't spank her."

This time it was Blaise's turn to cough at Draco's reaction. Barely containing his laughter, Blaise asked, "Sweetheart, I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Lila picked at her meal and said, "Whenever I stick out my tongue, mommy spanks me. I hope that mommy didn't see what Auntie Gin did, or else she'll get a spanking."

Blaise and Draco made eye contact and at the same time said to one another, "Not a single word."

XXXXX

Thank you so much for reading. I'd love to hear your thoughts as this progresses. Thank you to those who have read/reviewed/alerted.

Next chapter: Ginny confronts Draco


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I own nothing but the plot and make no profit. Thank you very much for reading, and special thank you to those of you with reviews/favorites/alerts.

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While walking through Diagon Alley before his appointment at the law firm, a burst of red caught Draco's eye. No, it was more than red, it was coral, and russet, and brick, dusted with chocolate. The movement flashed in his periphery, and immediately he thought Ginevra. He looked from side to side trying to locate the source of the color and then realized that the flower vendor had pushed past him on her way to restock her stall. She carried a bouquet of roses that matched Weasley's hair perfectly. Draco took it as a sign, a good sign.

"They're called Hot Cocoa roses sir, smell them, there's just a little hint of spice," the old crone told him. _Hot cocoa with just a hint of spice_, Draco thought, _yes, that's her exactly_.

Arriving a little early, Draco made his way towards the research center, flowers in hand. As he approached he caught sight of Ginny, head bent over the conference table engrossed in her work. Her hair was curly today, and down, falling around her face like a curtain, hiding him from her sight. She sat up straight and pulled her headband from her hair, then stretched, arching her back while she scratched her fingers in her hair messily. As she deepened the stretch, he could see a little sliver of pale stomach as her blouse rose from her waist. His breath caught at the sight of the skin, a feminine strength rippling below the surface of her actions, unaware of her voyeur and the effect she had on him.

Too soon she returned to the picture of professionalism, until she turned her head and saw his approach. The furious glare she shot him was so strong, so full of fire that a lesser wizard might have stumbled. As it was, Draco paused for a moment almost feeling a physical slap, before making his way towards her again.

"If those flowers are an apology, you're way off base," Ginny snarled as he entered her workspace.

"Apology? What on earth do I have to apologize for Ginevra? I simply saw these flowers and they reminded me of you."

"You owe me an apology. You did the one thing I asked you not to do. You told Blaise about our Tuesday nights."

"No," Draco contradicted her, slowly drawing out the word, "quite the opposite. I did not _tell_ Blaise anything. Blaise figured it out on his own, with some help from Lila and her mother. The one thing you asked me not to do was to discuss Potter, which you may remember, I did not."

"You, you, you're such a Slytherin," Ginny sputtered at him. "I don't know why I trusted you for a minute. You pretend to thank me, you pretend that you'll keep your word, and then when I ask one thing you don't like, you leave me, embarrassed and alone. How dare you?"

Draco leaned against a bookcase and collected himself. With a sigh he said, "Yes Ginevra, you are correct, I do owe you an apology. I owe you one, not because of what I showed Blaise, as you'll note I did not make or break any promise regarding his knowledge of your Tuesdays. However, I owe you one for walking out on you. Will you please accept these flowers and my apology?"

"Why should I? I have no proof that you're doing anything other than an adult version of your childish taunting from back in school. These could be joke flowers, and you're having a laugh at my expense." Ginny hated that he made her so irrational, and that he stood there, so calm, so cool. She didn't need drama in her life. _She didn't need him _she fought with herself.

_Merlin, whatever Potter did to her, it's so raw, like it happened yesterday,_ he thought, _she is too good at pushing people away._ "Please calm down. I do sincerely apologize. I shouldn't have left so abruptly. It was rude. But it has always bothered me that the Malfoy name is so easily scattered through the gossip rags, and I had hoped my father's illness would remain quiet just a little longer. Just until I get things straightened out here, with Theo's help."

Just then Theo came to the doorway, looking for Draco. "There you are mate, the team is assembled. Are you ready to get started?"

Draco looked back at Ginny, pain and anger still etched across her face. "I have to go now, but our conversation isn't over. I am sincere in my apology, though I didn't expect to be apologizing when I came here." With that, he turned to follow Theo back across the atrium to his office, hoping that a hex didn't hit him as he retreated.

XXXXX

Theo turned to the first member of his team and asked him to begin their progress reports.

"Absolutely, Theo, Mr. Malfoy," Ernie Macmillan nodded at both men in greeting. "So far my research into the Malfoy family inheritance laws show that while your request is highly irregular, there are no formal curses or spells to prevent you from moving forward with your wishes. Given your family's long history and known, ahem, dark background, I would however like to continue to research back several more generations before I conclude my inquiry."

"Very good, Mr. Macmillan, I appreciate the depth of your findings. Of the areas I've asked you all to help me with, this is one I feel very strongly about, however it is one that I can officially formalize at a later date. Please continue on with your research, and take as much time as you need to go back as far as you can. I would emphasize that as I presently do not have a serious romantic relationship that might lead to the discussion of heirs, for the time being this remains an issue I would prefer to keep as confidential as possible."

All of the witches and wizards present nodded in agreement that all dealings would be kept confidential, until Draco decided otherwise.

Tracey Davis then began her update, "Draco, it's good to see you again," she smiled. "I have spoken with Headmistress McGonagal and she will be available to meet with you next Saturday. This weekend is the first weekend with students back in the castle, and she fears it would be too hectic to devote the proper amount of time to your needs. She did however ask me to let you know that next weekend will be the first quidditch match of the season, and that Slytherin will be playing Gryffindor."

Draco replied, "It's good to see you again as well." Nodding in thought he continued, "I will plan on spending next weekend in Hogsmeade. And that is good to know about the quidditch match. It will be interesting to see how our old house is playing these days."

The group then turned to the third associate for her update. "Based on Tracey's progress, I believe I have located a property that you might be interested in," stated Lisa Turpin. "I have made an appointment for a private viewing this Saturday morning, if you're available. In addition, I've contracted an auction firm that specializes in wizard antiques that will be under exclusive contract to you for this project. They have several wizards specially trained in detection and removal of curses on objects, as well as appraisals. My only other suggestion would be for you to have a meeting with your entire staff to lay out to them in advance their potential options as we move forward."

"Ah, yes, a good idea," Draco agreed. "I will have a house meeting in the very near future, after we view the property on Saturday and I meet with McGonagal next week."

The final wizard, Zacharias Smith, began his report, "I am afraid that compared to my colleagues, I have the least successful update. Your idea is one completely new to the wizarding world. I have exhausted my inquiries and believe that we should have a clear path forward, however I'd like to enlist the research department to see if they can provide some muggle business cases that you can take to your board."

"Would this entail pulling Miss Weasley into this team? At this point, I'd rather not do so. If you do chose to solicit her research skills, I might ask that you keep the name of Malfoy Industries out of this. Remember that confidentiality is of critical importance to me."

"Absolutely sir, I can do so," replied Zacharias, "though I would emphasize to you that Miss Weasley is nothing but professional."

"Of course she is. However, I ask that you honor my request regardless. This entire project is about changing and managing the Malfoy image, and I request your aid in my keeping control of that at all times."

Theo stepped into his natural role as moderator, and recapped "Ok, to wrap up, Mr. Malfoy will be meeting Lisa on Saturday to evaluate the property, and the rest of us will move forward on our own action items in the meantime. We should plan to meet one day next week, but keep me appraised of your progress and I will call a formal meeting with Mr. Malfoy if need be. Thanks everyone for all of your work so far. Draco, do you have a second?" The other team members all rose from their seats, shaking hands with Draco as they left the office.

Theo gestured for Draco to return to his seat, and sat across from him in a matching armchair. "First, I wanted to express to you how much I respect what you're trying to do. I think your mother would be very proud of you. I know we weren't close in school, and that in both of our lives our fathers' reputations have preceded us, allowing other wizards to make assumptions and discriminate against us. Don't get me wrong, you had it much worse than I did, but regardless, I am proud at this point that Pansy and I can call you a good friend."

"Thanks Theo, that means a great deal to me. Now that I've come back to London, I'm finding that the wizarding world holds grudges for a long time, and that true trusted friends are both rare and worth their weight in galleons. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, do you have dinner plans tonight? My girls are at Pansy's mums and if we go out together I can claim to Mrs. Parkinson that it was a business meeting. The firm favors a new place over in the Alley for happy hour and their menu is excellent."

Draco shuddered, "What kind of friend would I be if I subjected you to the Parkinson's house elves' cooking? Do they still have that ancient one who over-salts everything?"

Theo laughed and clapped a hand on Draco's back, "Merlin yes, he must be immortal. I'll never get used to it, but the rest of them don't even notice. Let's go over, you'll love this place."

On their way out to dinner, Draco looked into the research center, and smiled to himself when he noticed the bouquet of roses sitting on her desk.

XXXXX

As they entered the restaurant Draco briefly noted a crowd of legal witches and wizards, all from Theo's firm, off to the right in the posh bar area. Theo moved forward to the maître d and asked for a table for two upstairs. "We'll be able to hear ourselves think up there, sometimes that lot," he gestured with his head towards his colleagues, "can get a little rowdy." Laughter rolled out of the bar area as they were led up the open backed stairs to the second floor, proving Theo correct.

They were seated at a table that had a view of the Alley, as well as the rest of the restaurant downstairs. Both wizards silently took in the crowd below, Theo making note of which of his coworkers would be taking hangover potions in the morning, and Draco apprising a certain redhead who was flocked by her three "buddies." Theo followed Draco's gaze and said, "Have you decided what you're going to do about that?"

Ignoring Theo's question Draco said, "Tell me about her relationship with them."

"Who, those three? There's little to tell. Like I said the other day, she goes on two dates and then declares that they're better off as friends. Of the three of them, Corner probably knows her best," Theo gestured to the black haired Michael. "They dated back in school briefly, before Potter, and then again a few years ago after Potter. Then the same happened with Boot, two dates and then friends," nodding at the brown haired Terry. "They were both in Ravenclaw you know."

"And in Dumbledore's Army with her as well?"

"Yes, as was Abbott," Theo pointed at the blonde Hufflepuff, Hank. "I think that they each have hopes that someday one of them will break her down, but despite some public flirting, she never gets carried away and always goes home alone." Draco silently absorbed this information as Theo continued, "Draco, you know I'm your friend but I would not advise following up on any impulses you might have here. It can only end badly."

Draco shifted uncomfortably as Ginny's laugh floated up to his ears, and his eyes narrowed as he saw her put a hand on Abbott's arm. "Is that your professional opinion as my legal counsel?"

"No," Theo chuckled, "but it is my opinion as someone who doesn't want a conflict of interest in a trial when one of her brothers murders you for hurting her."

"They let Potter live, didn't they?"

That question hung in the air as Ginny made her way upstairs to the ladies room. As she made her way past their table she smiled at Theo and completely ignored Draco. Her attitude towards him made him burn and fume inwardly, _How dare she ignore me, I'm a Malfoy!_

"Are you sure you don't want her just because you can't have her?" Theo asked seeing his reaction to her snub. "She's a safe distraction while you deal with Lucius, and one you can obsess about without fear of her wanting more. Remember all of the changes you have my team working on, changes to the Malfoy image. You don't want to throw that away with a fiasco just because you want something you can't have."

Draco thought a moment, as the waiter cleared their first course plate and discretely left their entrees. Sighing Draco said, "I don't know what it is, but she's compelling. It might be because she's the first witch to fight back and stand up to me. She doesn't seem to care if I'm a Malfoy, for better or for worse. Yes, she's beautiful and hot as hell and I would love to see how she is in bed, but I think she's also a challenge I'd like to take my time with."

Snorting Theo said, "You sound a little too much like a cat who wants to play with a mouse before you dine."

"Oh, I'd love to play. Her temper is fun. As long as I don't get hexed," Draco chuckled.

"More seriously though Draco, in light of some of the decisions you're making about your future, I do want you to think long and hard about if you are going to pursue this. You already know that she's not just going to be a one-night stand, despite your reputation. I would encourage you, as both your friend and your legal counsel, to be as upfront with her, or any other witch you might pursue, as possible. Given the traditional Weasley family sensibilities, that's only fair."

Realizing the ramifications of what Theo was implying, Draco replied, "Perhaps you're right. I think a good course of action for me right now will be to put her out of my head, focus on my father, and moving forward with my decisions as heir. Once I have the rest of my life sorted out, I'll revisit my romantic inclinations."

As Draco finished his pronouncement, Ginny walked back past them and he watched the sway of her hips as she descended the stairs. "As long as I can quit bumping into her, I'll be able to put her out of my mind."

"I admire your restraint," Theo remarked sarcastically, noting that Draco's eyes had never left Ginny's rear.

Draco watched as she pecked each of her three "buddies" on the cheek and left the bar, alone as Theo promised. That she was walking the street alone both pleased him (because she wasn't with one of those prats) and bothered him. He rose as if to follow her, and Theo put his hand on Draco's arm to stop him.

"Don't worry, she'll apparate straight into her flat. All of the witches at the firm do, they have a post happy hour safety pact."

Draco sat back down across from his friend, "I was simply concerned for her safety."

"Put her out of your mind then?"

"Yes, absolutely. Starting now."

Theo laughed at Draco and said, "Good luck with that."

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A/N: I made Hannah Abbott into Hank, because I wanted a male Hufflepuff in the trio. Since I put Neville with Percy, I figured she'd do.

The Hot Cocoa roses really exist - they're beautiful and the name suits them perfectly.

Next chapter: A ferret meets a weasel.

Thanks again everyone! :)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

Thank you very much for reading, and special thank you to those of you who have given me feedback, of any sort.

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It was late on Friday when Ginny finally left work. Early that morning Zacharias Smith had come to her and asked for assistance on a high priority project. Knowing how much Zacharias continued to struggle with his reputation as a cowardly Hufflepuff, she always tried to go above and beyond for him. Today she had completed as much work as she could so that when he came to the office on Monday morning he'd be able to move forward knowledgeably. It was a fascinating project, Ginny thought, relating to a corporate executive wizard who wanted to retire, and instead of naming a successor, reorganizing his corporation as one with an Employee Ownership Association. It was a fairly new idea to the wizarding world, but one that had found success in the muggle one. Satisfied with her work, she locked up the research center and made her way through the atrium, deciding to stretch her legs and make the short walk back to her building.

Shrugging her large work satchel off of her shoulder and kicking off her shoes by the table in her foyer, Ginny put down her wand by the entry table and looked in the mirror. She looked tired; it had been a long and emotional week. She ran her hands through her long hair, and decided to just keep walking from the doorway right into the bathroom that was attached to her bedroom. "Hello my furry beasts, did you have a nice day?" she asked as she passed the reclining Dash and Shadow, who barely even stirred as she walked past them into her room. "I don't know why I named you Dash, since all you do is sleep, you lazy bum. Shadow at least has the decency flick his tail at me."

Stripping off her blouse and wide legged slacks, she tossed them casually in the general direction of her hamper and stood in the bathroom in just her matching ivory lace bra and panties. She looked at herself again in the full size mirror over the vanity, and thought, _it is a shame I spend so much money on clothes no one ever sees. _Stretching her arms over her head she admired the way that the fabric slid over her body and continued,_ though I do love how they make me feel. _Bending over she started to run a hot bath in her oversize tub, pouring in some of the cinnamon vanilla bubble bath that George had specially formulated for her. Deciding that she needed a little something more to help her relax, she went back to the main room of her flat, which was large and loft-like, with an open kitchen, dining and living room that flowed together. Pouring herself a glass of firewhiskey on the rocks, she had the vague passing thought that it was for the best that she was on an upper floor of the building, since she rarely pulled her curtains. Returning to the bathroom, she peeled off her remaining clothes and sank deep into the hot sudsy water.

As she slipped deeper into the wet warmth, she could almost instantly feel her muscles begin to relax. Taking a sip of her drink, she tipped her head back and rested it on the edge of the tub, savoring the feel of the warmth burning down her throat to her stomach. As she shifted in the tub, bubbles lapped over her skin, and she relished the embrace and tingle of the sudsy water. Sipping her drink again, she rested back and slowly began to caress her own skin. Thinking back to her week, she called up a memory in her mind, a teasing comment and smug smile that had come from her coworker Hank Abbott, deciding that he would be her fantasy of the evening. Smoothing her hands over her breasts first, she shifted and moaned as she first pushed them together and then pinched herself, thinking of the twinkle in Hank's brown eyes. She reached back and pulled her hair free of the clasp that had been holding it tight, and shuddered as she pulled the tangles loose, fantasizing that she was pulling Hank's hair free of the low ponytail he kept it in, and tugged slightly as she bit her bottom lip. Squeezing her thighs together to savor the teasing of the bubbles between her legs, she took another sip of her drink before moving her hands from the long hair on her head to the short red curls lower down. Slipping a hand between her clenched thighs, she envisioned her blonde haired coworker and how he'd react if he knew she thought of him as she stroked herself. With one hand at her breast and the other between her legs, she rocked gently in the tub, moaning at the thought of how hard she knew this would make him, envisioning his erection as she slipped a finger inside herself. As she moved first one finger and then another, she thought of his warm brown eyes staring into hers, and then her fantasy man blinked and silver depths were there instead, staring deep into her soul. A flicker of annoyance crossed her mind, bothered that her fantasy man, as much as she hated to admit it, was not Hank but Draco, but she decided to ride out the fantasy. Moving her fingers faster, she took a gulp of her drink first, feeling the burn from the whiskey and her fingers both, and then reached for the vibrator she kept by the tub. Turning it on with her free hand, she focused attention directly on the erect nub of her clit, and increased the speed of her other hand. Desperate for release she moved the vibrator in smaller and smaller circles, increasing the pressure harder and harder, imagining that the hands working on her most private parts were those of one of her childhood enemies, a man who had come back to her life and was driving her to distraction. She pictured the shape of his lips and the roll of his tongue as her name flowed out of his mouth, Ginevra, the name no one used but him, Ginevra, imagining that the vibrations and tremors were coming from his body, Ginevra, that it was his erection plunging into her, not her own fingers, Ginevra, a man who could own his own passion and was powerful enough to command hers, Ginevra, as she bit her lip again and yearned for his mouth upon hers, Ginevra, her inner walls began to spasm and clench around her fingers and she cried out his name not her own, drawing it out into a beautiful melody as she moaned, _**Draaaaco**_.

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Later in the evening, curled up on the couch with another trashy novel and a second glass of firewhiskey, Ginny got a floo call from Luna.

"Ginny, Ginny, are you there? I need your help!"

"Luna, calm down, what's wrong? Is Lila ok? Is it an emergency?"

Luna sighed and tilted her head in a mannerism familiar to Ginny, a habit when her friend was deep in thought. "It's not an emergency, I'm just confused. Blaise just flooed and he wants to meet with me tomorrow afternoon. He said that he wants to talk about how we," Luna made air quotes, "_parent_ Lila. I don't know what he means by that, or what he wants, but I feel like I have to go, I'm almost afraid not to. I was hoping you could pick Lila up early tomorrow morning and keep her out of the way for the day? Until I let you know that it's safe to come back to the flat?"

Ginny was taken aback at the slight waver in Luna's voice, having always thought that Luna was confident in the custody agreement that she and Blaise had agreed to so many years before, and her relationship with the wizard. "Luna, absolutely. I'll stop by after breakfast and we'll go to the muggle zoo. I've been promising her for a long time that we'd go and see the animals there."

"Thank you so much Ginny, you're such a good friend to me, and like a second mother to Lila."

"Luna, it will be ok, I promise. Blaise isn't an unreasonable wizard. I'm sure that no matter what, he just wants what is best for Lila. And I will do whatever I can to make sure that nothing bad happens."

Later as Ginny got ready for bed, she argued with herself about the coincidence that after Draco had shown Blaise the truth of their Tuesday nights, it was only a few days later that Blaise wanted to meet with Luna. As she burrowed down into her many pillows and her downy comforter, she vowed that if anything happened to either Luna or Lila, Draco would meet the wrong end of her wand, no matter how hot he was, no matter how much she yearned to hear him say her name.

XXXXX

Early Saturday morning, Draco flooed into the lobby of a building in muggle London, following the directions that had arrived by owl on Friday from Lisa Turpin. Looking around the lobby, Draco thought that the surroundings looked vaguely familiar, but shrugged it off as many refurbished buildings in London had a similar feel to him. As he had learned from her message yesterday, this building had been abandoned factory space that a forward thinking wizard renovated into a series of high-end loft units, with the crowning achievement being a luxury penthouse on the top floor that had remained uninhabited for several years.

As Lisa exited the lobby floo, she immediately started their business meeting, striding with purpose towards him. "Mr. Malfoy, so good to see you," she greeted him as she shook his hand. "My apologies for having to meet you here in the lobby, however the property I wish to show you is not hooked up to the floo network, and we are unable to apparate directly in, for security purposes. We'll take the lift up, and I have a special charm coded to my wand to get us in."

"Not a problem. It is good to see the lobby as well, as I would occasionally entertain guests who might need to come through on foot. I assume that there is an appropriate level of security to the public spaces as well?"

"Absolutely. You'll find that ownership in this building comes with around the clock security, a concierge available on call, as well as space on the roof level for personal owl and other delivery bird habitats. Each unit has a private balcony for the ease of owl delivery, as well as personal enjoyment, in fact the penthouse I'll be showing you has two floors, each with outdoor living spaces."

The duo made their way up to the penthouse in question, and Lisa charmed the door open. Making their way into the foyer, Lisa continued her sales pitch. "On the left and then right of the entry here, you'll find two spaces with adjoining bathrooms. The one to the left opens out to the extensive balcony on this floor. Either room would be appropriate for a home office, guest room or child's room."

Draco nodded at each space as he made his way past, "Office with the balcony, guest room to the right. The master suite?"

"Is back through to the right as well. Also along that hallway you'll find the stairs to the upper level. As with all of the units in this building, where the brick walls could be salvaged, they were, and the windows and hardwood floors are all original. The kitchen is state of the art," she gestured as they walked further into the flat, "and the fireplace is an architectural detail used to divide the sitting room and dining room and the formal living room. Once ownership is transferred, the floo can be activated with the security levels you determine. Past the stairwell is ample living space for any house elves you might employ, and the door off of the dining room also joins the balcony on this floor. Let's go upstairs."

Draco looked around the space, thinking that it would be suitable for his purposes in London. The floor to ceiling windows let in plenty of light, and it had an overall feeling that combined both richness and simplicity, two elements that worked well together instead of battling for superiority. He liked that there was a touch of age and history to the space, but knew that his modern sense of style would fit in seamlessly. Making his way up the stairs behind Lisa, he took in an enormous room that had been converted from what was once the bell tower of the building.

"As you'll see, this adds a significant amount of square footage to the unit, and you could really do anything you wanted to it. There is a private balcony off of this level as well, as well as a private access way to the owlery. I know that this is a significant decrease in square footage from your current home, but I also believe that it meets all of the requirements you expressed to Mr. Nott."

"It does, and the square footage isn't an issue. I plan on keeping my property in Paris, as well as the island property the family holds in the tropics. As the last of the Malfoys, land ownership is less of an issue than it once was. I trust that you have put the other properties on the market as we discussed?"

"Yes sir, the Madrid and the Amsterdam properties have already sold, and the ones in Rome and Vienna have had several serious offers in. All of the deals should close very quickly. I think that you'll find that this building will work well for you. It was wizard developed, and is in close proximity to Diagon Alley as well as the Ministry, and many of the other wizarding business offices that have built up around the Alley."

"And the other residents? There is no one that I should worry about?"

"Absolutely not sir, this is an exclusive residence. In fact, Harry Potter was one of the early investors, though he has never taken residence. He made the decision to leave London prior to moving into his unit."

"Very well, with your assurances, let's move forward then. Have the ownership paperwork owled to me at the Manor tonight, and I'll let Gringotts know where to do the galleon transfer. I will need to do some minor renovations such as painting prior to taking residence, but I would anticipate having this done in time to coincide with the rest of the larger project at hand. I'll continue to work with Tracey's people on the audit of family belongings at the manor, and ask you to let me know when I can start sending over the items I'll be keeping. Shall we make our way back down to the lobby?"

XXXXX

Draco and Lisa made their way back into the lift, and remained silent as it descended, both deep in thought over the property deal that had just been struck. Only a few floors down from the penthouse, the lift doors opened and revealed two witches waiting. Before Draco could even raise his head to see who it was, an earsplitting squeal announced that one of them was his goddaughter, Lila.

"UNCLE DRACO! What are you doing in the building I live in? Who invited you? It is so good to see you! How exciting, what are you doing, what are you doing, what are you doing?" the small witch chanted as she danced around him in the small space.

"Yes, do enlighten us what you're doing in our building," said Ginny, voice attempting for sarcasm but only achieving curiosity.

Lisa, not knowing the strained relationship between Draco and Ginny, stepped in to talk to her coworker. "Ginny, it's so good to see you. I was just showing Mr. Malfoy the penthouse unit in the building." Lisa bent down to Lila's level and asked, "And who might you be?"

"My name is Lila, and I'm going to the zoo today with my Aunt Gin. Are you my Uncle Draco's girlfriend?"

"Lila!" both Ginny and Draco exclaimed at once. "That is not an appropriate question to ask, Lila. This is Ms. Turpin and she works with me at the firm. She's a legal witch, and is working on a project with your Uncle."

Lisa looked at the two adults in the lift with her, trying to figure out how this child was related to each of them. Sensing her confusion, Ginny continued, directing her words to Lisa, "Lila's mother is Luna Lovegood and her father is Blaise Zabini. She lives here in this building with Luna, a few floors away from me. I am an aunt in name only, not by blood. We're going to spend the afternoon together while her parents meet." The last sentence she said while staring Draco in the eye with one eyebrow raised.

Draco met Ginny's stare with a face of pure innocence, but raised an eyebrow back at her incredulously, remaining silent.

"Uncle Draco, what are you doing today? You should come with Auntie Gin and I! That would be fun! Do you have a favorite animal at the zoo? It's the muggle zoo! I want to see a giraffe and a lion and the otters and the penguins! Auntie Gin promised we'd see them all!" The small witch was all but vibrating with excitement at the idea of the day's adventure.

"Lila, I'm sure that your uncle is very busy today, he's a very busy wizard," Ginny interjected, with a faint blush on her cheeks at the idea of spending the day with a wizard she had just fantasized about the night before.

"But Aunt Ginny, he could come with us and see your favorite muggle animal too! Didn't you tell me we could go see the ferrets?"

Ginny was aghast at her niece's declaration, hoping Draco wouldn't catch what Lila had just said, the faint blush she felt previously rising to a full flush across her face.

Smiling his trademark smug smirk, Draco leaned down to the little witch, just as the lift doors opened. "I would love to join you today. I promise you we'll have a lot of fun," standing, catching Ginny's eye he said, "all three of us will have fun. I do hope they have my favorite animal as well. I have always been partial to the female weasels."

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Thank you again for reading.

Next chapter: The ferret and the weasel get flirty flirty at the zoo. ;-)


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

I'm sorry for the delay in the update. Labor Day threw off my planned schedule of one per week/one per weekend. Thank you very much for reading! Those of you who have reviewed/alerted/favorited have made this so worthwhile! :)

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As Lisa said her goodbyes and made her way to the floo in the lobby, Lila tugged on Draco's hand so harshly that he had no choice but to follow her. The trio made their way out of their building (_Their building_, both Ginny and Draco thought, _we will be living in the same building…_) down the street through London, Lila chattering along the way about her excitement and expectations for the day. "Don't forget, I want to see the lions and the otters and the giraffes and the penguins!" Draco was then surprised when Ginny took a turn into the Leaky Cauldron and on through to the Alley.

"I thought we were going to the muggle zoo? How do you propose we get there from here?" Draco asked, sounding a bit put out that he was not fully in control of the situation, instead just trailing passively behind the two witches.

"There's a floo connection to the zoo from my brother's store," Ginny explained, and Lila nodded, as if a connection to the muggle zoo from a wizard joke shop made perfect sense in the mind of a six year old. Ginny could see Draco's confusion, and as they made their way through the neighborhood, she continued on. "After the war, there was an increase in magical animals appearing in muggle London. I guess once our world became safe for them again, they started to become braver and began to explore outside of wizarding lands. The muggles don't know what to do with them if they catch them, so they take them to the zoo or a shelter to get rid of them. This began happening so often, that the ministry decided to put a wizard liaison as a keeper in the zoo, and a partnership was formed. It has become a pretty popular place for magical families to go and spend the day."

"That still doesn't explain to me why we have to floo through your brother's store," Draco pressed, not entirely comfortable with being seen in her company by her remaining twin brother. Ron, that was a weasel that he could handle, but the twins had always been a little too well, insane, for his taste. And this from the nephew of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I assumed you knew and could make the connection. Herminone is the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Since the zookeeper works for her, and she is often called to the zoo to help with decisions on what to do with any magical animals brought there, it made sense to put the floo connection near her home. It's convenient for her, but also helps manage the wizarding tourists who do visit the zoo. Most wizards buy their zoo tickets from the store, and then that money goes to pay the liaison's salary. It really works out quite well. Ah, here we are," Ginny finished, as she pushed open the door to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and held it for her two companions.

As soon as Draco entered the store he was assaulted with sensory overload. It was at once too loud, too bright, too fragrant, too everything. Ginny and Lila took the atmosphere in stride and approached a young clerk to purchase the zoo admission tickets. Recovering, Draco slickly pushed in front of the witches and put his arm out to block them, "Please, allow me." He was much more comfortable dealing with a random employee than a member of the Weasley family proper. Ginny rolled her eyes, but allowed him to make his grand gesture. As they turned and made their way to the floo, George entered the store from the back room. Draco saw the tall redhead step into view and steered his companions quickly into the floo, hoping to avoid confrontation. _Now is not the time or the place for old rivalries to be revisited_, he thought. George saw Draco's maneuver and raised an eyebrow at Ginny, who shrugged back to him and called out to him "we'll see you later!"

The floo connection brought them to a private entrance not that far from the muggle entrance to the zoo. Ginny turned to her young charge and said, "Well my darling, where do you want to go first?"

"My darling? Ginevra, I hardly think we're on such terms so early in our relationship," Draco teased, causing Ginny to flush, but again, she rolled her eyes at him in response.

Lila ignored him completely and asked Ginny, "You promised me the giraffes! Which way to the giraffes Auntie Gin?"

Picking up a zoo map from the counter, Ginny took Lila's hand and said, "Well, let's see. It looks like if we just turn around this way, the giraffes are in the Into Africa exhibit, along with the zebras and warthogs. Hmm, warthogs, I wonder if we'll see any of your old housemates there Draco?"

Draco played along with the teasing, "Could be, to be honest, I haven't seen Millicent Bulstrode in a long time," he replied with a wink.

Ginny was temporarily stunned at his good-natured response to her teasing, and took a pause before continuing. "Well what are we waiting for? To the giraffes!" They made their way to the exhibit with the giraffes, and as Lila goggled at the beasts and their long necks, Draco admired how Ginny and the little witch got along so well. Ginny was always patient and answered any questions Lila might have with a serious, thought out answer, never dismissing his goddaughter just because she was a child. Draco realized that both Blaise and Luna were lucky to have people like Ginny and Pansy helping out with their daughter.

As they made their way along to the next requested section of the zoo, the otters, Draco casually asked Ginny, "Have you been here before? Is this someplace you bring your nieces and nephews often?"

Ginny bit her bottom lip and thought about her reply, "No, I've only ever been here once before. A year or so after the war Harry wanted me to come with him. He'd wanted to show me the reptile house for some reason."

"I take it by your response that we won't be visiting that part of the zoo today?" Draco replied, hoping she'd continue on, and he could finally learn more about her relationship with Potter.

"Do you mind if we don't? I know that the Slytherins are fond of snakes and reptiles, but I really would rather we skip it," Ginny asked with a small amount of pleading in both her voice and her eyes.

"Ginevra, I would never make you do something you didn't want to. I promise you that. Plus, I don't like just any lizards, I much prefer dragons, after all, think of my name," he responded, first quite seriously but then trying to lighten the moment when he remembered the incident in her first year with the basilisk. _If my father wasn't already dying_, he thought, _I would kill him for having done that to her._

After Lila had her fill of the otters, where both she and Ginny had giggled madly at the creatures' watery acrobatics, they made their way towards the penguins. Both adults noticed that they fell into step together quite easily, keeping pace together and silently enjoying each other's company. Her laughter and the kindness in her eyes brought warmth to him that he hadn't felt in a long time, if ever. At one point she stumbled a bit on the path and he put out an arm to catch her, and she relished the brief notion of someone being there to keep her safe, to catch her if she fell. Inwardly they both battled with the thought that they had been enemies so long ago, but their ease in companionship during the afternoon slowly eroded away some of the fears that nagged them both. Ginny mused to herself that perhaps, just perhaps, she could call Draco a friend.

As they looped up towards the penguin exhibit, Draco excused himself to visit the washroom. Walking back towards his companions, Draco noticed a handsome man talking to Ginny, reaching to touch her hair, and handing her a business card. The idea that he'd been gone a mere few minutes and she had already accepted another man's phone number burned deeply into the pit of his stomach. Acknowledging a jealousy he'd never felt for anyone else, Draco decided that if he could determine answers to just a few questions he had about Ginevra Weasley, he was very much interested in more than just friendship with her. "Flirting with another man Ginevra?" Draco drawled as he returned to her side.

Ginny laughed, and the sound of the music her laughter made moved him to the core. "Merlin, no!" she giggled again, "He is a muggle hairdresser. He stopped me to ask who cut my hair, and asked if I'd visit his salon sometime. He said that a red like mine would be fun to work with," she shrugged, then continued, "and I strongly suspect that you are much more his type. If Neville wasn't with my brother Percy, I'd give this card to him."

A faint blush crept up Draco's cheeks, realizing what she was hinting at. Then the second part of her statement clicked in his mind and he said, "Wait, Longbottom? I thought that he was one of your exes? When did this happen?"

"Well, we only went to the Yule Ball together. He and Percy have been together for several years. I obviously ruined him for all other women," she teased.

Lila ran back from watching the penguins' antics and said, "Ok, now I'd like to see the lions! Where are they? And then your favorite animals, where are the ferrets and the weasels?" she asked, tugging on the map in Ginny's hands.

Trying to ignore the whole notion of rodents, Ginny consulted the map and took Lila's hand. "It looks like if we walk this direction, past the flamingos, we'll be on our way to the big cats."

"And the ferrets, Auntie Gin?"

"Yes, Ginevra, where are these ferrets you're so fond of?" Draco needled her, leaning against the wall of the penguin habitat.

Sighing, Ginny looked down at the map again and replied to them both, "It looks like both the ferrets and the weasels are in the Animal Adventure area, just across from the lions. However, I'd like to make a quick stop. Lila, do you need to go to the ladies room?

"No Auntie Gin, I'm ok. Can I go over to the playground with Uncle Draco while we wait for you?" Lila asked, eyeing up the other children playing on the swings and slide.

"That sounds like a plan, I'll meet you over there in a few seconds," Ginny replied, while Draco nodded at her that he was on board with the brief separation.

When Ginny returned, she stopped and helped Lila for a few moments on the swings. Draco had been sitting on a bench, watching Lila play, and now watched this beautiful woman who had completely bewitched him. As she crouched down to Lila's side, he admired both her smile and her natural gift with children. The handsome man he had seen talking to Ginny earlier sat next to him on the bench and started a conversation.

"Having a good day with your family?" he asked. "My partner and I love to come here to see the animals, and to be near the families. We're hoping to adopt soon, and seeing all of the families together just reenergizes us. Your wife," he nodded at Ginny, "is very good with your niece."

"My wife?" Draco asked, startled at how forward and chatty this total stranger was. _That's the problem with muggles_, he thought, _they don't know I'm a Malfoy and to be avoided_.

"Yes, I heard your niece calling you her aunt and uncle earlier. I stopped to talk to your wife about her beautiful hair. I'm a stylist, and I'd love to get my hands on that stunning mane," he smiled at Draco, in a way that made it clear that while he was interested in Ginny's hair, that was all he wanted.

"Well yes, you're right on two counts, she is beautiful, and she's very good with children. Thank you," Draco nodded, pondering the big picture the man was implying. Instead of correcting the man on the third point, he stood and called to the witches, "Come on ladies let's go see the lions."

As they walked away, Lila danced on ahead of them, and Ginny nudged him. "So, did he ask for your phone number? Did he want to run his fingers through your pretty hair?" she asked with a little bit of an implied tease.

Draco shook his head and said, "Actually no. He thought we were married. And he explained why he was touching your hair earlier." Distracted by the idea that they looked like a family to outsiders, he only half focused on the conversation.

"Married! Ah, that's a laugh. A Malfoy and a Weasley married. If he only new what he was implying, right?" she halfheartedly chuckled, looking at him out of the side of her vision to see what he thought about the muggle man's suggestion.

Still distracted by his thoughts, Draco could only mumble, "Right," before Lila came dancing back to her companions.

"Uncle Draco, before we go in to the Animal Adventure and see your favorite animals, can we go over to the gift shop? Please oh please oh please oh please!" she begged, shamelessly, knowing Draco's weak spot for spoiling her.

Normally it would have taken Lila a long time to decide which stuffed animal to buy, but she zeroed in on her desired treat almost instantly. When Draco questioned if she was sure that she wanted the stuffed otter, she replied with great gravity, "Of course Uncle Draco, I already have a giraffe and a lion and a penguin Puffy Pet, but I don't have an otter! Easy peasey!"

On his way to the cashier, Draco noticed tiny plush figures, only a few inches high, and a small white ferret caught his eye immediately. Impulsively, he snuck it in with his other purchase, planning on surprising Ginny later, with her "favorite animal" as Lila had implied. Smirking at his discovery, he turned back to the witches with the gifts in a bag and said, "Shall we ladies? "

Entering the Animal Adventure area, they looked at the strange creatures called porcupines and aardvarks, before making their way through the animals such as mongooses, meerkats, and of course the ferrets and weasels. Lila was delighted by the antics of the meerkats and kept racing between the different exhibits, marveling at the way all of the animals tumbled and wrestled in tiny little packs. Ginny and Draco hung back a bit, allowing Lila to determine her own pace through the area. Leaning against the wall with Ginny by his side, Draco turned to her and said, "So are ferrets really your favorite animal?"

Ginny sighed and said, "If you must know, it's a long time joke that Luna and 'Mione have teased me about forever. I was horrified by what Mad Eye did to you, and took a lot of ribbing for taking that stance back in school. Pretty much everyone else thought you were a prat that deserved it, so when Lila asked me what my favorite animal was, Luna told her the albino ferret. I really don't have a favorite muggle animal, though I do like animals as a whole**. **Are weasels really _your_ favorite animal?" she asked.

"More teasing, I'm afraid. I've never been to a muggle zoo before, so I don't really know many muggle animals. Calling your brother a weasel just fit so perfectly, you know? The carrot orange hair and your name starting with a W. Though, you're the prettiest weasel I've seen today, by far," he nudged her a little, moving closer to her on the wall. When she didn't move away from him, he decided to delve a little and see if he could find out the answer to one of the questions that had been plaguing him all day. "The problem with weasels though, is that there's just so many of them. I mean, look at that one," he said pointing to a female in the exhibit, "She's got to have mothered, what, six or eight new animals a year. So I guess that matches a bit with you too, given your family's penchant for loads of kids."

Ginny turned to him, with a sad, pained look in her eyes, and slowly shook her head. "Not all of us, Draco. Not all of us," she whispered, almost as if confessing a sin to him.

The pain and angst she wore all over her slight frame shook him so deeply, and at once he decided that no matter what it was that Potter had done to her, if he ever saw that bastard again, he'd make him pay. She was far too good, far to kind, to still be hurting so badly. He reached towards her, cupping her cheek in his hand, gazing deep into her eyes and whispered, "no, not all of us" back to her.

Unable to resist the magnetic pull, the deep longing he felt, the need to make her pain go away, Draco did the only thing he could. He kissed her.

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I had hoped for this to turn out a little more flirty, but Draco's inner quest took over. Sorry!

Next chapter, hopefully later this week. We'll find out what happened with Luna & Blaise... and if Ginny slaps Draco or not. ;-)


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

Thank you so much for the reviews, they make my day. Also thank you for the favorites and alerts. You're all good people. :)

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At first it was a chaste peck, but then Ginny instinctually rocked into Draco, and they both deepened the kiss. A real kiss, a first kiss to remember for a lifetime, a kiss that curled Ginny's toes, that fired Draco to the core, a kiss that made him hear voices in his head that chanted, "yours, make her yours, always." When they pulled apart, Draco looked down and gazed deeply into Ginny's eyes, and she stared back for a moment, then raised her hand. He closed his eyes and steeled himself, waiting for a slap, but instead she curled her hand around his jaw and stroked his cheek with her thumb. He leaned into the caress, and she put her forehead against his chest and whispered, "If only you knew Draco, if only you knew."

Interrupting the embrace, Lila came running back over and said, "Auntie Gin, are you ok? Why are you resting like that? I'm getting hungry."

Peeling herself away from the solidity of Draco, Ginny knelt down to Lila's height and asked, ignoring her first two questions, "Well my dear, what are you hungry for? Do you want to eat here or do you want to go back to the Alley and eat somewhere over there?"

"Hmmm… I think I'm hungry for ice cream. What flavors of ice cream do you think they have here? Do you think they have my favorite flavor?" The beautiful little witch bounced as she pondered the possibilities of ice cream for lunch.

"I doubt it sweetie, I don't think they have a full ice cream parlor here, and cauldron cake flavored ice cream isn't a muggle flavor. We'd have to head back to the Alley for that. Are you done at the zoo? Are there any other animals you'd still like to see?" Ginny pressed, making sure the little witch was ready to leave.

"No, I think I've seen all of my favorite animals, and we got to see yours too!" she squeaked. "Let's go back and get ice cream please!"

The trio made their way back to the exit, and while their little companion skipped her way ahead of the adults, Draco quietly reached for Ginny's hand. When she didn't push him away, he decided to press on and whispered, "I think we need to talk about a few things."

Ginny nodded and whispered back, "I agree. I think we should talk, but as friends. We'll have Lila until Luna and Blaise are done though. Why don't you come back to my flat with us and after Luna is ready for Lila, we can talk?"

Draco wasn't pleased about the 'friends' stipulation, but he knew that he was the most charming wizard in London, and had faith that he could eventually convince her otherwise. He had a strong suspicion that he wanted Ginny in his life, and if he had to start as a friend (he mentally sneered at that word) he was willing to work with that as a starting point.

They returned to the joke shop, and Draco was relieved to see that neither her brother nor Granger were about, so they continued on to the ice cream shop. Strolling back to their building, each licking on their cones (Lila with a cauldron cake flavored scoop, Ginny with a chocolate frog swirl scoop and Draco with a butterbeer sorbet) they were mostly silent, though both of the adults kept glancing sideways at each other, trying to determine just what the other one was thinking, and just what they were going to discuss.

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Ginny opened the door to her flat, and ushered in her companions. Lila raced in, shouting out "Shadow, Dash, where are you? Come see the otter Uncle Draco bought me!" The two animals looked up at her from their respective sunbeams, and then went back to sleep and ignored her completely. Not fazed, she plopped down on the living room floor and began to play with her new toy.

Ginny gestured to the couch and offered Draco a seat, as she made her way into the kitchen. "Let me put a kettle on, and then I'll go down to Luna's to see if she's home yet. Please make yourself at home."

Still standing, Draco took in his surroundings. The main living space in the loft was a large single room, split into three spaces for the kitchen, dining and living rooms. Floor to ceiling windows filled the outside wall of the living room, providing ample sunlight for the furry creatures that Lila had addressed, but the majority of the other walls were covered in bookcases. The walls that weren't covered by shelving were either exposed brick, or a paint effect that gave the plaster an almost antique parchment look. It was as a whole a very warm and comforting space, and the simple elegance almost put Draco's new empty penthouse to shame. He sauntered in a bit further, stopping to look at the photos on the mantle in the dining area. A photo of her with Granger and Lovegood and two other witches, arms around one another, wearing formal wear and grinning broadly (Granger's wedding, he suspected), a family photo full of more red heads than you could shake a broom at (her brother the Weasel being conspicuously absent, he noted), little portraits of various siblings holding newborns, and one of her beside Lovegood at St. Mungo's, holding an hours old Lila. It was subconsciously reassuring to him to see that there weren't photos of any men that weren't immediate family, not even her work "buddies," and especially not Potter. Continuing his slow appraisal of the space, he saw a half closed door that led to the master suite. The walls were a silvery lilac that was both soothing and sensual, and a pull in his stomach made him want to make his way to the enormous bed, covered in so many pillows that he couldn't imagine where she actually slept. The headboard was a massive curling iron monstrosity that almost made him groan at the thought of her holding on to it while he lowered himself on top of her.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Ginny asked as she returned to his side from the kitchen.

If he wasn't a Malfoy, he'd have blushed at being caught gaping into her private sanctuary, so he covered his embarrassment with a query, "Yes, I was wondering where I could freshen up a bit?"

"Back towards the foyer, you'll find everything you might need in the guest bath. I'm going to take Lila down with me and see if her mother is home. The tea is steeping, in the meantime, please make yourself at home and I'll be right back," she reassured him.

Hearing the door click behind them while he was washing his hands, he decided his first unsupervised action would involve the miniature toy he had hidden in his pocket. Taking it out along with his wand, he uttered an enlargement spell over it so that it became the same size as a real ferret. He added in a softness charm for good measure, and then snuck into her bedroom to nestle it among the massive nest of pillows. Satisfied with his surprise, he returned to the living room and stretched out across an overstuffed chaise lounge to wait for her return.

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Ginny knocked on Luna's door, and could tell as soon as it was opened that Luna wasn't her normal, albeit slightly scattered, self. Lila saw her mother and immediately threw herself through the doorway, wrapping herself around her mother's legs. "Mummy! We had such a good day today! We saw the lion and the otters and the giraffes and the penguins! And we had ice cream and Uncle Draco bought me an otter!" she declared, waving the stuffed toy in the air.

"Uncle Draco?" Luna asked Ginny cocking her head to the side.

Ginny stepped into the flat and answered her dear friend. "We bumped into him before we left the building today. Apparently he's buying the empty penthouse upstairs. Lila invited him along with us."

Airily, Luna asked, "And how did that go?"

"It's still going. He's upstairs. We have a few things to talk about. More importantly though, how did your day go?" Ginny pressed, worried about her friend.

Luna turned to her daughter and said, "Lila, why don't you go get cleaned up for dinner? Even though you had ice cream, I still need to eat something and I'd like you to keep me company." Lila scampered off to the bathroom, not aware that there were some vegetables in her future. Her absence allowed Luna to concentrate on Ginny; sitting down on the couch, the two witches began to talk.

"Luna, you seem so different, so not yourself. I'm worried about how things went today. Did everything work out with Blaise?" Ginny had her defenses up, if something bad had come to Luna from Draco and Blaise's interaction, the wizard waiting for her downstairs would pay.

"Oh no Ginny, I'm fine," Luna replied dreamily. "I think the flat is just full of wrackspurts. You know how they make our brains fuzzy. I'm fine," she repeated, with the same faraway look in her eye, "today went really well."

"So Blaise doesn't want to change the custody agreement? He said something about how you both act as parents, if it's not prying, what did he mean by that?" Ginny was worried that now that Lila was getting older, Blaise would try to change his custody agreement, to leverage his Slytherin influence more on his daughter.

"Blaise told me that he thinks I'm a great mother. But he says he recently had a revelation while watching one of his single friends who is struggling to find a witch to accept him for who he is. Blaise said that he doesn't want to be alone anymore, like his friend is, and that he wants us to try a real relationship. He wants us to get to know each other, to accept each other, and to be parents together, for Lila. Together, that's what he emphasized. He teased me that he was 'formally submitting an offer to woo.'" Luna giggled at that.

Ginny sat back on the couch, stunned. "Luna, that's amazing. Are you going to do it?"

Luna sighed and also started to relax a little more. "Yes, I think I am. I think part of the reason I haven't found anyone in the six years since Blaise and I met up at the Hogwarts Homecoming, is that deep in my heart I think Lila deserves her family to be together. I never dreamed that Blaise would think the same thing. We agreed that we'd go into this with our eyes open, and we'd be honest, and no matter what, we'd stay friends. I think this is a really good thing," she leaned forward again and squeezed Ginny's hand, "I think things are looking up for us."

"Oh that homecoming! I don't think the faculty is ever going to forgive George for spiking the punch with that love potion. Just think, what are they going to do when all of the kids that were conceived that weekend all enter Hogwarts at once!" Ginny chuckled at her brother's antics, but then grew more somber at the thought that she didn't, and wouldn't, have a child entering Hogwarts that year. Ginny sighed and said, "Well things are definitely looking up for you and Lila. If you're happy, I'm happy for you. Best of luck with Blaise, and if I can help with anything, watching Lila or anything like that, you just let me know."

Frowning Luna said, "No Gin, I mean it's looking up for all of us. I think that you should go back upstairs to Draco, and finally move on from Harry."

"Merlin Luna!" Ginny exclaimed, "I've only seen him a few times, and we've fought half of that time. Why don't we work on just being friends for now?"

Luna shook her head and replied in her familiar singsong manner, "Friends are nice Gin, but you already have a lot of friends. You need a _boy-friend_."

Ginny shook her head and rose from the couch, "I might have a lot of friends, but I'm risking losing one if I don't get back upstairs soon. I've left him alone too long."

As Luna closed the door behind her friend she spoke out loud, "Yes Ginny, you've both been left alone too long."

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Ginny opened the door to her flat, and rushed in. "Oh Draco, I apologize. Luna had some exciting news and I think we just lost track of time." She'd been gone less than thirty minutes, but she still felt horrible about it. Looking around the loft, she couldn't see Draco right away and she panicked at first, thinking that he'd gotten tired of waiting for her and had left. Then she heard a noise. She quietly crept forward and stopped when she heard the noise again. A few steps further into the loft, and then whispered quietly to herself, "Oh no, I forgot…"

It had been so long since Ginny had hosted someone in her flat that wasn't a family member; she had forgotten to warn Draco not to sit on the chaise. It made sense that Draco would choose the most luxurious and extremely comfortable piece of furniture in the room, however what he didn't know was that it was a gift from George. Gifts from George always had the potential for trouble. For years after her breakup, Ginny couldn't sleep well, so George had charmed an enormous chocolate brown overstuffed chaise lounge chair with a sleeping spell. Ever since receiving it, both Ginny and her pets had taken full advantage of the charm, napping there on a regular basis.

She heard the noise again, and watched as Draco shifted on the chaise. _Is he snoring?_ she thought to herself_. Maybe he isn't perfect, though, even his snores are sexy. _ He shifted again, splaying himself out further, and she peered at him more closely. Completely relaxed, the strain and lines disappeared from his face. He looked younger and more at ease, but also like a sexy buffet waiting to be feasted upon. He was completely edible and lick-able, lying stretched out, vulnerable and relaxed like she'd never seen him before. He continued snoring, and Ginny nudged his foot with her leg. "Draco, do you want to wake up?"

He swatted the air in her general direction and moaned, "Five more minutes, just five more minutes…" and then rolled over into a fetal position and started snoring again.

Ginny giggled as Dash hopped up onto the chaise, and curled into a ball near him. Draco shifted again and wrapped an arm around her pet. Struggling to not wake him with laughter, Ginny thought, _if I had a camera, I bet he'd give me the entire Malfoy fortune to keep a photo of him cuddling a kneazle out of the press_. As his breathing regulated and she noticed that his eyes were moving behind the lids, she realized that he had slipped into such a deep sleep that she wouldn't be rid of him soon. Using her wand to slip his shoes off and to cover him with a blanket, she mouthed "you traitor" to Dash, and went into her room to give Draco some privacy.

Looking at the clock in her room, she realized it was already 7:30. A bit later in the evening, her stomach growled as she was reading another novel. She snuck out to the kitchen and made herself a small plate of snacks, tiptoeing back into her room, reminiscent of the days sneaking back from the kitchen and the house elves in school. She paused at the threshold of her door admiring the unconscious man sprawled out in her living room. He snored again and she giggled, realizing that he was still cuddling Dash. Even later, she yawned and decided to retire for the evening as well, moving towards her washroom to get ready to for bed. Before going in, she cast a small protection charm over her doorway, admitting to herself that she wasn't ready to be completely vulnerable and alone with him. _No, not just him_, she thought, _with anyone_. Returning to her room, she noticed the surprise that he had hidden among her pillows, the plush white ferret. Apparently one way or another, he wanted her to have a ferret in her bed that night. She curled up with the toy, and smiled to herself again as she heard another snore echo through the living room.

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Thanks for reading! Next chapter, hopefully over the weekend. Pancakes, Ginny finding out one of Draco's mysteries, and if all goes well, Draco will learn a bit too from a surprising source.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

Thank you to all of you who have read, commented or otherwise made me want to continue with this story.

Note - the last section of this explains what happened with Harry. If you're pro Harry, you might want to skip.

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On Sunday morning, Draco rolled over and found himself face first in something warm and comforting and he realized as he opened his mouth, overwhelmingly furry. Spitting out the kneazle fur as he sat up in a place that was decidedly not his own bed, let alone his own home, he watched as the creature scampered away from the chaise they had shared. There was a door he had not noticed at the side of the living room, and he heard a female voice say, "Did you finally join the world of the living Dash? Did you wake up our guest too?" Shedding the blanket and noticing he was in his stocking feet (_she cared enough to cover me up and take off my shoes_, he fleetingly noticed, touched), he stumbled over to the door, running his hands through his hair as he blinked at the daylight.

Ginny looked up from where she had been sitting on her private balcony, curled up on a patio chair with her feet underneath her, watching a drizzle fall from the sky. He noticed that her hair was still damp curling down her back, and she looked freshly scrubbed, so pure and wholesome, with her smattering of freckles and her wide deep eyes, that he instinctively leaned towards her to protect her, even within the safety of her own home. She smiled, looking at his face, creased with marks from the chaise's fabric and said, "Nice bed head there, Malfoy." He scowled, but she continued on, clearly more of a morning person than he was. "You must be absolutely famished. We both missed dinner last night. Why don't you go take a shower in the guest bath, have a house elf bring you over a change of clothes, and we'll head over to the Cauldron for their Sunday brunch. Tom's wife makes the best pancakes ever, but don't tell my mum I said so." He nodded, still trying to parse out exactly what had happened to him, how he had ended up sleeping in her flat, and why she wasn't hexing him for the inconvenience.

Feeling significantly more awake and aware of his circumstances after the shower, he found Ginny waiting for him in the living room. Rising from her spot on the couch, she asked "are you ready to go? I'm not rushing you out, but I can't be late to the Burrow for dinner tonight, and if I am late, I don't know that either of us want my excuse to be that I couldn't get you out of my flat."

Draco nodded, agreeing that he had little interest in dealing with a redheaded army when all he had done was fall asleep and said, "yes, shall we see about these pancakes you have promised me? I am ravenous, and we never did have the conversation we had intended to. Shall we floo over since it appears to be raining?"

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Exiting the floo, Draco steered Ginny towards a quiet booth in the back of the pub. As they walked through the seating area, Draco rested his hand on the small of her back, leading her to a space where they could sit and talk in private. The location of his hand did not go unnoticed by the others in the establishment, and he was met with a combination of glares of jealousy and raised eyebrows of surprise. The only people who appeared to not care about their presence were other couples, couples that clearly had spent the prior night together, completely wrapped up in each other's presence. Draco realized that almost everyone else in the pub assumed that they too were a couple, and he moved in closer to her, staking a silent but public claim.

Sitting opposite one another in the cozy booth after placing their order, Draco leaned back and stretched a bit. He noticed that Ginny's eyes followed his actions and he felt a small rush of pride to know that she was admiring his body. He had little doubt that she was as attracted to him as he was to her, but he had to crack the riddle of her past, he knew, before any physical pleasure would come from their relationship. _Their relationship_, he silently pondered, _when did he decide to start thinking of her as a relationship?_

Leaning forward towards her, he took one of her hands in his and held it on top of the table. "So, I think we need to have a discussion about what happened yesterday at the zoo. I think that it would be for the best if we started this, well, what you are stubbornly calling a friendship, with complete honesty."

Ginny sighed incredibly deeply, and then sighed a second time, as if to emphasize her point. "Draco, can't we just be friends? Why must you try to make this more complicated than it needs to be?"

"Ginevra," he drawled out, trying to be patient with her, "I think we both have enough friends. I also think you know that we are both attracted to one another, and that we have incredible chemistry. I think that neither of us are the type for one-night stands, as pleasurable as that might be right now. I'm a Malfoy, and we don't deny ourselves the things that we want. I want more than friendship with you. And today I want to find out what I have to do to make that happen. I am open to suggestions."

Ginny shifted uncomfortably and at the same time, Draco noticed a scuffle in the other part of the pub. She bit her lip and seemed to think deeply about what he was proposing to her, that he wanted more, that he wanted to be a more serious part of her life. She had heard such words before from other wizards, but for some reason, some deep longing and base physical attraction, had her seriously considering his offer.

He realized that she was so deep in thought that the scuffle did not faze her. He looked over and saw her ex, a wizard so angry that the fury was apparent from the sneer on his face, being physically restrained by his two auror companions. He broke free from their bonds and ran towards them, and Draco leaned closer into her, clutching her hand more tightly, which while on his part was meant to protect her, only infuriated Potter more. He got within a certain proximity to them and then bounced off of what appeared to be an invisible barrier. He shouted at them both, "she will not be with you, Malfoy! She will never dirty herself with you, you death eater bastard! I'll see to it, mark my words!" Draco had flinched twice, first as Potter had been repelled by the barrier and a second time at his words. Draco looked at Ginny to see her reaction, and it appeared as if she hadn't seen a thing. The rest of the pub was silent, waiting for Draco's retaliation, but he quickly decided to go along with whatever game Ginny was playing and simply squeezed her hand. The aurors with Potter had physically removed him from the pub, and slowly conversation started around them again as the rest of the diners realized that the show was over.

Acting as if nothing had just happened, Ginny finally responded, "Draco, I'm having such a nice morning. And yesterday was lovely. Could we just not do this now? I promise you, at some point we'll have this conversation, but does it have to be today?"

Given what he had just witnessed, he suspected that her mind must be reeling, and admired her ability to keep a straight face and ignore the anger Potter had just spat at them. Relenting, he instead replied, "I'll make a deal with you. We won't have this conversation today, but in exchange you'll go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend. I have business at the school, and you can visit your brother and his family. After we can watch the Slytherin versus Gryffindor quidditch match, and we'll have this discussion then. Is that a deal?"

She smiled brightly at the proposition, and shook the hand he had been holding hers with. "Yes Draco, you have a deal. That sounds like a wonderful weekend. What business do you have at the school?" she inquired as their food was served.

"Let me meet with the headmistress first, and then I'll tell you everything. It has something to do with the project I have Theo working on, and I don't want to jeopardize anything until we've worked out the details. So, what shall we speak of instead? Why don't you tell me about what you've been working on this week?"

Ginny smiled over her cup of tea and replied, "I don't know all of the details, but I've been working on a fascinating project where a wealthy wizard is looking to retire, and instead of naming a successor, he wants to leave his company to the employees. It's an idea from the muggle world, and I think it is one that the wizarding world should embrace more."

Draco loved watching how animated she got when speaking passionately about her work and asked, "Why do you think so?" prompting her for further opinions on the matter.

"Well, from the muggle case studies I've been reading, it improves both productivity and morale. Employee dedication obviously increases, and there is a correlation between productivity and profitability. I think that the witches and wizards who work there will be very lucky," she finished with a grin.

"I am glad to hear that you approve," Draco smiled at her. "That is indeed my goal for Malfoy Industries. I think the time has come to remove the Malfoy name from the wizarding business world, and to let the people who have worked so hard to make my father rich become wealthy themselves."

Ginny sat back and gaped at him, shocked at his confession. "You? That research was for you? I had no idea, truly Draco. But I will say this; I am both stunned and impressed. You're planning on retiring then? And what of your legacy? What will you leave your heirs? And what will you do with yourself?" she peppered him with so many questions at once that he just smiled at her reaction.

After taking a leisurely sip of his tea and savoring the suspense, he replied, "I'm pleased that I meet with your approval. I have plans for my future, plans I'd like to talk more with you about, but we agreed, not until next weekend." He enjoyed teasing her a little bit, dragging out the expectation for her as if it was extended verbal foreplay. "Now, on to another matter, last night was the best night's sleep I've had since I came back to London. Tell me, what on earth happened? Was that furniture charmed, and if so, where can I get one?"

XXXXX

Later that evening, part of the extended Weasley family retired to the living room after dinner. Bill and Fleur had been unable to attend due to Fleur's condition, Percy and Neville were in the kitchen cleaning up and sharing gardening tips with Molly, and Arthur had taken his grandchildren out to his shed to show them his newest muggle acquisition, some sort of stuffed animal that moved and made noises, not through magic but by something called batteries. Charlie and George were quietly playing a game of wizarding chess while eavesdropping on the witches curled up on the couch together, gossiping.

"So Luna is finally going to try to work it out with Blaise? That's fantastic news Ginny," whispered Hermione, well aware of her husband's predilection for snooping.

"It is, I agree," Ginny whispered back at her sister-in-law. "She really wants to make a family for Lila, and I told her that I'd do whatever I could to help. Like yesterday I took Lila to the muggle zoo so that they could talk. You've got a great collaboration going on there 'Mione, cheers to your department."

Hermione blushed at Ginny's praise, and then remembered something George had mentioned. "Ginny, did George see Malfoy going to the zoo with you? How did that happen?"

"Oh, I had hoped we wouldn't have to talk about that. We bumped into him in the lift, and Lila invited him. He's buying the penthouse in our building. We had a nice time actually, he, um, well, he wants to take me to Hogsmeade with him next weekend." She turned to Angelina, "We'll be on grounds for the quidditch match, though I suspect we'll have to sit in the guest bleachers instead of our house seats, to stay neutral. But I'll have some time to spend with you and the kids while he meets with Minerva."

Both Charlie and George's ears perked up at the news that their sister was not only spending time with Draco Malfoy, but that she was making future plans with him, willingly. They made eye contact across the table, silently agreeing that they would take care of this between the two of them.

"It will be great to see you Gin, I can't wait to show off some of the changes I've made around the shop. Should we expect you for dinner?" Angelina asked, not sure what she'd do with Charlie if they were hosting Malfoy in their home.

"I don't know, but I suspect not. Maybe we can all meet for a drink after the game though? I hate to make too many plans without consulting Draco. Can I let you know later in the week?" Ginny asked, hoping to change the topic before her brothers got wind of their conversation.

Angelina sighed in relief, and nodded in affirmation, just as Molly came into the living room. "Dessert is ready if you'd like to come back into the kitchen. Neville went out to get the kids."

Glad for the interruption, Ginny leapt to her feet and followed her mother. The two witches who had married into the Weasley family turned to their husbands. "I assume you both heard all of that?" Angelina asked the brothers.

"Yes, we did. We just need to decide what to do about it," answered George.

Hermione said, "I don't know how much we should interfere. It might be good for Ginny. This is the most interested she's been in _anyone_ since Harry. I think we should see how this plays out." She glared at her husband, and nudged Angelina to do the same. "I mean it's not like they're having sleepovers or anything."

XXXXX

On Monday afternoon, Draco found himself crawling around on the floor in one of the many rooms of the manor. He had been working room by room, inventorying the contents and preparing for the upcoming auction. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been in this room, but for that matter, he couldn't remember the last time he had been in the majority of the house. He loathed this place, and all of the memories it held, and the sooner he could liquidate the contents, the sooner he could be free. Finally free of this place, the nightmares, and his family name.

Interrupting his thoughts, one of his house elves popped into the room and declared, "Mister Malfoy, there is a wizard here to see you. He says he is Mister Weasley, and that it is urgent and you will want to meet with him. Should I show him to the sitting room?"

Draco groaned, and didn't know which would be worse, Arthur, Charlie or George. He knew it wouldn't be Percy. And he doubted Arthur. So he was either facing a lunatic or a dragon handler. Either way, he sighed as he rose from the floor, dusting himself off and making sure that he had his wand. He cursed himself for lowering the protective wards, which while it had made it easier for the wizard antiques experts to come and go it had also left him open to unwelcome visits such as this.

As Draco entered the sitting room, George rose and crossed the room to shake his hand. "Malfoy, thank you for seeing me. I'm sure that you weren't expecting me, but I think that you'll be interested in what I have to say."

"I assumed it was only a matter of time before one of you came to talk to me. Especially after what happened this weekend with your sister."

"What happened this weekend with my sister Malfoy? That wasn't what I was here about, but now I admit I'm curious," pressed George, with just a bit of an evil gleam in his eyes.

Draco decided to play his hand a little more closely to his chest and replied, "I had assumed you were speaking about the trip to the zoo with my goddaughter. Were you referring to something else?"

George knew that there was more to the story, but decided to address the issue he had come for. "Alright Malfoy, I'm here to talk to you about something, and I have to tell you that I do so at my own risk. If either my sister or my wife knew I was here, they'd both hex my balls off. I think that this discussion will benefit us both, or else I wouldn't be here."

Interested in what the wizard had to say, Draco leaned forward and said, "If I promise to keep this visit to myself, will you continue?"

"Malfoy, I want you to know that I'm not here to warn you away from my sister. She's an adult, and she can make her own decisions. She's done just fine for years keeping wizards away from her. And I'm not here because you're a Malfoy. The war is long past, and I think you've proven that you are not your father. But I am here to potentially prevent some heartache on my sister's part. And I need you to know that if you ignore my advice, and she ends up with a broken heart, I can't promise that things will end as well for you as they did for Harry. He has the heart of the wizarding world, and you don't have that reputation to fall back on," George said with a little bit of menace in his voice.

"You should know that I am not interested in simply bedding your sister and leaving her behind. She is a compelling and beautiful woman, and I'd like to begin a relationship with her. However, she seems content to maintain a simple friendship. I am at this point battling her issues as well as any you may have," Draco replied, hoping that George would get to the point soon. He was visibly uncomfortable having the loose cannon of the Weasley family in his home.

"I know my sister has a lot of issues. And that's what I'm here to talk to you about. I want to ask you point blank – do you plan on carrying on the Malfoy family name?" George stared at Draco intently, and made it clear that he would not be continuing until Draco answered.

Draco sighed and debated his choices – to be honest with the wizard in front of him, or to deceive him and risk future repercussions. Having made the promise to Ginny the day before that he wanted their relationship to be one of honesty, he decided to risk the truth with this Weasley as well, knowing that his answer would potentially offend him to the core.

"If you must know the truth, I am in the process of petitioning the Wizengamot to allow me to end the Malfoy family line. I do not plan on allowing the dysfunction that is my family name to continue. I know that this will offend you," he sniffed, "as one of the fertile Weasleys. However, I have not yet discussed this decision with your sister. I had planned on talking to her about this next weekend, and would appreciate a shared confidentiality here," Draco replied, with no little menace of his own.

George smiled slightly, and relaxed for the first time. "Malfoy, I know this will surprise you, but that is good news. That is news that will work to your benefit. In fact, this might just be perfect. We're both aware of how much value the wizarding world puts on carrying on the family line."

Draco was intrigued and surprised by the wizard in front of him, relieved that his decision might be good news. "Please, go on," he gestured, becoming excited that one of his greatest concerns about a future relationship with Ginny was within seconds of being answered.

"My sister cannot have children. She almost died, literally, when she and Harry broke up, and the only way to save her life was to do a special procedure. Her life was saved, but as a result, she can't get pregnant. I believe that she's lonely and that deep in her heart she'd like to be married. She refuses to let anyone get close to her for fear of having her heart broken when it comes to light that she can't provide an heir. We Weasleys have a reputation, and I think that just makes it even harder for her," George explained.

Draco sat, stunned and speechless for a moment. "Will you tell me what happened? We saw Potter the other day, and I don't think your sister even realized he was there, despite the angry scene he tried to create. I take it that their break up was not amicable?"

George leaned back and crossed his legs, indicating that he was settling in to begin a lengthy tale. "For all of his strengths, for being the wizard that saved our world, Harry has one great fault. He doesn't know when to stop giving. The Ministry has held him up as a perfect hero, and insisted that he make himself available to every single person in the wizarding world. And Harry has grown accustomed to the adoration. And well, let's just say that he doesn't know when to stop sharing himself with the world, as in, fidelity is not his strong point."

"Are you telling me he cheated on Ginevra?" Draco couldn't imagine anyone being unfaithful to such a beautiful woman. Ginny had an innate sexiness that made her appealing to almost every wizard that crossed her path, and he found it hard to believe that once a wizard had her in his bed, he'd ever need another.

"Regularly and thoroughly. Apparently he had some sort of vision that Ginny would remain a perfect little wife to him at home, and he treated her with kid gloves. From what Hermione has told me, their relationship was made up of very traditional roles, with Harry being the instigator of most of their romantic interactions. He put her on a pedestal, and when she got pregnant just after they got engaged, he withdrew further. What we didn't know was that in the meantime he was sleeping with every witch in the world that looked at him twice. And that he'd pulled my brother into his lifestyle as well."

"I admit, I wondered how it was that you ended up with Granger," Draco replied, trying to absorb an abundance of information at once.

"My brother and Harry were in Romania, visiting Charlie who was still working with dragons there, and one night after Charlie had gone back home they stayed at the bar, drinking and carousing. They met up with a pair of sisters, witches who saw them as their ticket out of Romania and with galleons in their eyes. So after they had sex, both of the witches cursed them, so that any other witch that they'd have sex with would become sick afterwards. What no one could predict was that the curse would cause Ginny to lose the baby. And once the bleeding started, it wouldn't stop. We didn't know at first that it was related to how sick 'Mione had gotten after Ron returned, but the guilt of it made Ron confess." George took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions as he talked about his own wife.

"And now your brother has broken ties with the family, I assume?" Draco was in shock, hearing that the savior of the wizarding world couldn't keep it in his pants, and furious that his behavior had almost killed Ginny.

"Yes, as far as we know, Ron lives the life of a monk. Well, as a quidditch coach at a wizard's only school, but he has chosen a life intentionally where he doesn't interact with witches. He said that after almost losing his sister, he can't imagine making another witch as sick as that, as sick as he made 'Mione." George shuddered at the memory. "And from what we can tell, Harry doesn't care. We assume he just has one-night stands at this point, but in our negotiation with the Ministry we don't interact with him at all. The entire Weasley family, including Neville, signed an agreement that we wouldn't make any of this public knowledge, so that the Ministry can continue to hold him up as their golden boy, and in return, there is a protective barrier around Ginny. He can't get within a certain distance of her, and for all intents and purposes might as well be invisible to her, which I think is what you saw yesterday."

"So what you're saying to me is that I might be the only wizard in the world who looks at your sister's problem as a benefit, not a deficit? That in fact, I might be the perfect wizard to make your sister happy?" Draco pressed.

"As much as it pains me to say it, and it isn't the resolution I expected when I came here today, but yes. I had planned on coming here today to tell you to leave her alone and find your heir elsewhere. I promise you that if you tell my sister that you do not want children, it will be a game changer for your relationship." George was surprised at Malfoy's reaction, that he could see the fury in Malfoy's face when he heard about Harry cheating, and the true concern he expressed for Ginny's well being.

Draco rose and offered his hand to the wizard across from him, "I assure you, I have nothing but the best intentions towards your sister. I am not the wizard my father was, and I am not Potter. I will keep this conversation confidential if you will, but I have to say that it has encouraged me. Especially since when you came in here, I had assumed it was to hex me."

"Don't worry Malfoy, the day is young, if you hurt my sister I still might. Now, I'll see myself out, unless there is anything else we need to discuss?" George tightened his grip as he shook Draco's hand.

"Actually, now that you mention it, I hear you're the man I need to talk to about a charmed chaise lounge," Draco smiled at him, eyes sparkling with joy based on the revelation that this wizard had brought him.

George raised an eyebrow and said, "Now how might you know about that?"

XXXXX

A/N: Ok, I hope that answered some of your questions. I know this is longer than usual, but I really wanted to get the scene with George in this chapter. Hoping to update later this week again, and my only hint is that we're not skipping all the way ahead to Hogsmeade yet.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I am SO SO sorry about the delay. We had a really bad storm that blew out our cable & internet access and we just got it back on today. I'd been having a little block, but promise I'm back at this.

Thank you everyone for your kindness and reviews and comments and everything. It means so much. :)

XXXXX

On Tuesday evening, Draco met with Blaise again at the Leaky Cauldron. Blaise had arranged a brief meeting with Luna before her weekly yoga class, and would be taking his regular Tuesday custody of Lila then. Both men were eager to spend a little time with the women they were interested in, though Draco had not let Ginny know of his plans in advance.

Blaise was lounging at a table in the outdoor seating area, long legs stretched out in front of him as he nursed his drink, keeping an eye out for the beautiful blonde witches in his life. Draco looked at his watch and assumed he had enough time to go to the loo and back, and excused himself, "I will be right back, please don't let them leave without me seeing Ginevra." Blaise rolled his eyes at his friend, but kept his comments to himself while he took another sip.

As Draco made his way back towards the door to the outdoor seating, a pair of hands suddenly reached around his head and covered his eyes. "Guess who!" a female voice purred seductively behind him, and as Draco inhaled her scent, the smell of vanilla and cinnamon, he relaxed automatically, finding comfort in the aroma. The mystery woman leaned into his back, warm body pressing into his, and he leaned back into her.

"Ginevra, this is so unlike you," he purred back, reaching up to remove her hands and capture them in his. He figured if he played his cards right, he could corner her for another clandestine kiss. He was then surprised when he spun around into the open arms of Astoria Greengrass.

"Ginevra? Who on earth are you talking about Drake? I hope you don't mean that prude of a weasel," she put on her prettiest pout for him and continued, "and why would you mistake me for her? Aren't I more memorable than that?"

Draco wanted to extricate himself from the situation as quickly as possible, and glanced outside to see Blaise still sitting alone. He raised his glass in salute, able to see them in front of the pub's large glass windows. "Your perfume, I think you must wear the same perfume. And good Merlin woman, I haven't seen you in over ten years. We were children then, and a mere childhood crush isn't worth pouting about."

"Perfume? Drake you _know_ my skin is too _sensitive_ for perfume. You must just smell this," waving a carry out package in the air, "I stopped in for some bread pudding. Tom's wife makes a different flavor each evening. The caramel raisin is my favorite, but tonight is vanilla cinnamon." She pressed herself up against him, straining up towards his mouth, whispering against his jaw, "why don't you ditch Blaisey and come back to my place? We can start with dessert and well, finish with something more delectable?" She licked her lips and batted her eyes at him, sex oozing out of every pore, "I promise you that I've learned a lot in ten years, and you'll never forget me again," continuing to rub herself against him, grinding slightly to make her point.

At the same moment outside, a small blonde witch screeched, "Daddy!" and propelled herself into Blaise's arms. Following close behind were both Luna and Ginny, who smiled in greeting to the wizard buried beneath his daughter. Luna leaned over Blaise and gave him a quick hug from behind and he reached up to pull her in closer.

"I am the luckiest wizard in London, no, in the world. I have the two most beautiful witches on the planer in my arms," nodding up to Ginny, "and another beauty along as well." He winked at her and continued, "I'd offer to let you join in, but I don't want to face Draco's wrath."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at Blaise, but Lila sat up and asked, "Is Uncle Draco with you? Will he be having dinner with us?"

Blaise chuckled, "Yes, he should be joining us. He wanted to talk to your Auntie first, but you have to promise that you don't just want him to take you over to the muggle bookstore tonight." Blaise looked around for his friend and the three witches followed his line of sight when he saw Draco in the window with Astoria. Both Lila and Blaise groaned, Lila for being denied a present from her uncle and Blaise because he saw the biggest galleon digger in London trying to dry hump his best friend.

Ginny's eyes met Draco's and she spoke for the first time. "I can see that your friend is busy, well, getting busy. Luna, I'll meet you in class." She spun away from the pub and rushed away from her companions, fleeing the scene of another wizard who couldn't stay faithful, before Draco had the chance to untangle himself and chase her down.

XXXXX

Wednesday morning Ginny woke up with a familiar sense of dread. Snuggling deep amongst the massive nest of pillows, she searched her brain to pinpoint why she felt so down, until she remembered – Draco and Astoria. She chided herself, they were just friends, they had only kissed once, they hadn't even had 'the conversation' yet, so she shouldn't feel so let down. He was just another playboy, just another wizard who put sex before everything else. She sighed and rolled over, dramatically draping her arm over her face. She needed a pick me up, something to shake her bad mood. Deciding to take a personal day, she rose from her bed and went out into the fireplace in her dining room, tossing in some floo powder and calling into the office administrator. "I'll be back in tomorrow, I just need to take care of something personal today."

"Is everything ok Ginny?" the kindly older witch asked, "You sound a little off."

"I'm fine, I just need to take care of a few things. I'll be right as rain tomorrow. If anyone asks, all of my research is caught up for the week and I'm on track to start something new tomorrow. I'll see you then." Leaving the floo she decided to take a quick shower and then go downstairs to use the muggle payphone in the building lobby.

She dressed carefully for the day, in a pair of snug jeans that flared out at the bottom, covering her high and clunky heels. Not one to wear a great deal of makeup usually, she brushed just a little bit on, conscious of the scrutiny she was about to face. Finishing the look with a bright aqua sweater set and a matching pair of drop crystal earrings, she felt as if she had put on her suit of armor, ready to face battle.

Picking up the phone, she dialed the number on the small slip of paper in her hand. "Hi, I um, have never done this before, but I'd like to make an appointment. I was hoping you could see me today, as I need something done badly."

"Absolutely Ma'am, what did you have in mind?" the charming voice on the other end of the line replied.

"I am willing to put myself completely in your hands. Do you have an appointment available today?" Ginny was wary, and tugged on her hair a bit, waiting for the answer.

"Were you referred to us by someone?" the voice queried her, obviously screening her as a customer, which made Ginny even more nervous.

"I met someone last weekend, and was given this number. He said he'd love to work with me."

"Is this the young woman from the zoo? The redhead?" the man at the salon grew excited.

"Yes, it's me. I've decided it's time for a change, so I was hoping to come in today. I called off work, so I can come anytime" Ginny replied, catching some excitement of her own.

"I'm sorry, how could I have known it was you? Of course you can come in! This will be thrilling – come as soon as possible and we'll take such good care of you!" now the stylist on the other end of the phone was oozing both charm and exuberance.

"I'll be right there, if you don't mind" Ginny gushed; letting go of a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Several hours later Ginny emerged from the salon, and she never felt more beautiful. She had been pampered and massaged within an inch of her life, and felt like she had a new friend. The stylist, Philippe, was extraordinarily gifted ("some women tell me my hands are magic" he had claimed, causing Ginny to giggle) but insisted on not allowing Ginny to watch his work in the mirror. When he spun her around when he was finished, she gasped in awe, barely recognizing the witch looking back at her.

Ginny had always been pretty. As she had gotten older, she had matured into a certain kind of beauty, one that exuded warmth and comfort, not a cold icy beauty like Pansy and Fleur, or an earthy airy one like Luna. However, while beautiful to the eye, it was her personality that made her undeniably sexy. She had a twinkle in her eye that showed she enjoyed life, but made wizards think naughty thoughts. Her smile lit up her face, but also made them imagine how she'd taste. Her hair had always been her best feature – it was what made her unique, and there wasn't a man around, muggle or magical, that didn't want to run their fingers through it. What Ginny didn't realize was how many wizards she turned on by simply looking at her, and that made her even sexier. There was something fragile there, something damaged yet innocent that men wanted to fix and possess and corrupt.

What Philippe had done was indeed magical. He had a gift, and his skill took her beauty to a new level. Having never had a true haircut, just having had it trimmed by Molly or done it herself, there was never really a style or shape to it. With some simple beauty charms she could make it curl or wear it in any way she wanted but this was different. Now, with subtle layers and shape, it was fuller and bounced without magic. It framed her face, highlighting her cheekbones, drawing attention to her eyes, and guaranteeing that every head would turn as she walked past. Philippe watched as she sat stunned looking at herself and said, "I hope you lock your doors tonight, because you're so delicious you'll have men trying to follow you home!"

XXXXX

Draco straightened from where he had been kneeling, and brushed dust off of his knees. Looking around, he surveyed yet another room in the manor that he had gone through. He muttered a spell under his breath, shrinking the boxes of books that he had packed and then sent them off to his new penthouse. Other than his suite, and each of his parents' suites, he had finally finished going through the estate. He had kept very little for himself so far, choosing to leave behind all but a few mementoes of his childhood, and these boxes of books. None of the furniture suited his tastes and would be better situated elsewhere. It was his hope that the upcoming auction would be lucrative. Stretching, he sighed realizing the work he still had to complete – all three of the Malfoys were extensive clotheshorses, and the closets alone would be a daunting task. Not to mention the more personal items that lay ahead of him.

"I think I'll need some female assistance with mother's suite," he muttered to himself, "I'll have to ask Gin about it when we're away this weekend." Ginevra_,_ he remembered, and his stomach fell. He knew that Ginny thought he had been with Astoria. The owls and flowers he'd sent to her at work that day had been returned unopened and unacknowledged. She didn't want his explanation; she didn't want his friendship. The crux of the problem was that he wanted her, and he wanted more than friendship. Sighing again, he looked at his watch and decided to floo Theo to see if he could give him a gauge on her emotional state.

"Draco," Theo grinned, putting aside the parchment he had been reading while he sat at his desk, "what a pleasant interruption. What can I do for you? There's nothing wrong with our project progress, is there?"

"No, no, I'm right on plan. There are only a few suites left to go through here at the manor, and I will be meeting with the headmistress on Saturday. Once I do that, the rest of the plan can fall into place. Barring my father's condition of course" Draco replied. "That's not what I'm interested in, thank you for asking though. I was wondering if you had seen Miss Weasley recently, and if so her general attitude today."

Theo scratched his head and thought back through his day, "Well, now that you mention it, the research center was dark today. I don't remember seeing her at all. Do you want me to see if I can find out more for you?"

Draco was concerned about her, but he knew that he had to walk a fine line. While he was invested in this relationship, he knew he had the upper hand, in that he knew about her past and she had no idea how well it would work with his future. He wanted her, but he didn't want to scare her off or become a stalker. One kiss and surviving a confrontation with a slightly sociopath sibling did not make for a firm foundation for a relationship in anyone's mind.

"No, don't put yourself out. I need to speak with her myself, and don't think it would be wise to pull anyone else into this just yet. Thank you though. I'll see you Sunday for dinner at Blaise's?" Draco tried to end the conversation quickly, still pondering how to track her down on his own.

"Yes, we're looking forward to it. I think Pansy is looking forward to having some female company in Luna, and we're all hoping you'll bring Ginevra with you. Have a safe trip back to campus, and root Slytherin on to a win," Theo signed off and went back to work.

XXXXX

Draco stepped away from the floo and decided he needed some fortification before making a plan for his next steps. Pouring himself a double firewhisky, he sat down in an armchair in the sitting area of his suite. Thinking very in small steps he knew he had to go to Hogwarts, regardless of if she came with him or not. But he wanted her there. He wanted to celebrate with her afterwards, and he wanted to tell her of his plans, so that they could plan together. He wanted to have "the talk" with her and then convince her that they should be more than friends. Much more.

Sipping the drink, he leaned his head back on the chair and summoned up some courage. He needed to talk to her. He needed to clear the air. But first he needed to find her.

The floo to his new penthouse had not been set up yet, and he didn't want to apparate after having such a stiff drink, not wishing to risk splinching himself on top of everything else. He decided to floo into their building's lobby, and to go from there. _One step at a time,_ he thought.

At the same time, Ginny was making her way home from the muggle salon - she felt fantastic, like a new witch. With a sway in her step she strolled along the streets, not noticing the heads that turned to watch her walk. Whistling a tune she pushed the door to her building open, swinging her bag and smiling to the world. As she made her way further into the lobby, her smile faltered briefly as she saw an unmistakable pale blonde head emerge from the floo.

Fleetingly Philippe's words passed through her mind, _you'll have men trying to follow you home_, and tried to duck her head and sneak past him to the lifts. She should have known that even before her new haircut and attitude that it would be tricky, but now, with a flaming coiffed mane and aura of sensuality it was completely impossible. She braced herself and forced the smile to stay on her face, as she watched him straighten and make his way towards her.

She didn't slow her pace as she moved towards the lifts, so Draco had to put a skip in his step to catch up with her. _She cut her hair,_ he thought, a hitch in his breath as she brushed past him, her scent enveloping him. "Ginevra, hold on. I was hoping to meet with you so that we could talk about our trip this weekend. I was also hoping that you'd join me at a dinner party on Sunday evening."

Ginny had entered the lift and was pressing the button to make the doors close, as he slipped in with her. She turned to him with steel in her eyes and said, "Draco, I don't think I'll be taking the trip with you. Whatever you had planned, I think you should take your new romantic interest. We were going to discuss being friends at best, and friends only. Take Astoria and have a good time."

Draco sighed and leaned back against the lift wall. "Ginevra," he drawled out her name while seeking patience,"that is exactly what I am here to talk to you about. You have jumped to a conclusion, and a wrong one at that. I have no interest in Astoria. I never did, not even back at school. You left the Cauldron before I could explain, and you didn't answer the owls I sent to you at work today. I am only interested in you, and I will do what I have to in order to prove that to you."

She sighed and closed her eyes, steeling herself, trying to remain calm but also moved that he had owled her at work. "You don't have to prove anything to me, Draco. Your actions speak louder than words. Let's just remain civil. We have friends in common and will be living in the same building. Let's just let this drop and forget anything ever happened." She looked up to the rising numbers, hoping to reach her floor more quickly.

Draco lost his battle with his self-control and pushed himself off from the wall in anger, making three quick strides across the tiny room to her and pressed the emergency stop button. He stood so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face. "I will not drop this. I can see what you can't, and that is that we belong together. That whatever happened to you so long ago has nothing to do with me, or us. You need to learn to trust again, and it's going to be with me."

Ginny pressed herself back into the wall, trying to make herself small, trying to ignore the heat of his body as it radiated towards her. "You're wrong Draco, we don't belong together. I don't _belong_ to anyone. Or _with_ anyone." She closed her eyes and tried to ignore him, willing him away. If she weren't so rattled, she'd have apparated to her flat and left him alone in the lift.

"Ginny," he pleaded, reaching for her chin and using her nickname for the first time. "You are not meant to be alone. Who you are, every fiber of your being, you're meant to be with someone." He pressed himself into her, so that she could feel her effect on him. "You drive every single man, muggle and wizard alike, crazy. That you don't know it just makes it worse." He sniffed her hair and rubbed his thumb across her lips, "and what you've done to yourself today just makes it all the more obvious. You're too sexy, too alive, too everything, to just shut yourself down."

She sighed under his hands and opened her eyes looking up to him, his use of her nickname having too much of an impact on her. His magnetism and warmth pulled her in, as much as she tried to fight it. She shuddered and whispered, "It's just so hard Draco, it's just so hard. You have no idea how it feels to have your world stripped away from you, for it to collapse under your feet."

If she had been anyone else he would have smirked, or snorted derisively, but with her, with this broken woman he wanted so badly, he just smiled and rested his forehead against hers. "Oh Gin, but I do. You have no idea." He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. "Every day we'll learn more about each other, I promise. You'll see that you're not alone. I'm here. I promise you I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere, and you can trust me on that." He brushed his lips against hers tenderly, despite the heat and the longing, the hardness and the unbearable desire in him to press her against the wall and take her there, to make her his. He whispered against her lips, "I'm yours Ginevra, yours and only yours. Believe me. Trust me."

She whimpered at the tickle of his lips, and he applied more pressure, teasing with his tongue, seeking entrance, seeking the taste and the warmth of her. "Draco, we shouldn't. We should talk about this," she whispered as she opened to him.

He smiled against her mouth as he pulled the button on the lift to start them moving again, towards her floor. With all of the tenderness he had he said, "Shut up Ginevra. Stop thinking for once and just enjoy this." The doors opened and he backed her up against the door of her flat, "Let me show you what it feels like to be worshiped."

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A/N: Thanks for reading. I'm truly hoping to have the next chapter up soon, since we have internet again. (And I'm sorry this is so short but I wanted to get SOMETHING up after our little fiasco.)

Coming up - what happens when they get to Ginny's flat and a return to campus.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

Thank you to all of you who have let me know that you're reading. I'm sorry for the delay in updating.

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Ginny found herself pressed up against the door of her flat, sandwiched tightly between the wood and the hard warm body of someone she had long considered an enemy. She was dwarfed by his height; standing so close together he could rest his chin on the top of her head. Looking up to his face, she could have drowned in his eyes, turned on like she hadn't been in years, consumed by the lust she saw in the silver depths. She raised a hand to run it through his silky pale hair, and suddenly felt him shift down to devour her mouth. Gasping at the pressure of his lips, the languid way he drew his tongue across her lips, she crooked a leg up around him, unable to control herself. He must have taken her action as a further invitation, as he reached down and lifted her up, two hands on her rear, holding her bottom while she wrapped her legs around his hips. He pressed himself into her, so that she could feel intimately how large his arousal was, and she found herself shifting first to find a sturdier position but then again to repeat the mind-blowing friction of him rubbing up against her. Using the pressure between the wall and his chest to hold her up, he let his hands roam all over her body, one tangling through the hair at the back of her neck, forcing the kiss to deepen, their tongues battling for dominance.

Her heart was racing, she hadn't been this close, this intimate with a man since Harry had left her, and she knew that the adrenaline rushing through her system was equal parts lust and fear. He gyrated his hips again, grinding into her and moaning into her mouth, and the percentage lust won out. Then there was a loud pop of someone apparating close by, and the percentage fear battled back to the forefront and she scrambled off of him, shoving him away from her with two hands to his chest.

"Master, Zippy is sorry to bother Master, but an emergency, the wizards at St. Mungos won't stop flooing. Master must go now to the hospital." The little house elf shook with fear, used to the reactions of the elder Malfoy wizard when delivering bad news.

Draco sighed and pressed his head against the wall; frustrated that despite being on his deathbed, his father had managed to interrupt. It was like he was a teenager trying to grope Pansy during his parents' dinner parties, even unconscious Lucius must have had a sixth sense about when his son was trying to get laid. Ginny tried to regain her composure, relieved that the interruption was just one of the Malfoy elves and not one of her neighbors (or worse, one of her brothers).

Straightening up, Draco sighed again and turned to Zippy. "Zippy, thank you for the message. I will say goodbye to Miss Weasley and apparate to St. Mungos directly. Then I will return to the manor to let the staff know what has happened. You may go."

A brief glimmer of relief and surprise passed the elf's face, who then simply nodded and with a *pop* was gone.

Draco then turned to Ginny and reached for her. He saw that the moment of passion was over, as a flicker of trepidation passed across her eyes as he held out his hand to her. Sighing, he thought to himself, _for every step forward with her, it feels like we take two steps back_.

"It's ok Draco, we needed to stop anyway. We need to just be friends. Just friends, remember?"

It killed him to hear the pleading in her voice, and how it contrasted with the need he knew she felt a mere few seconds ago. _That bastard Potter, I could wring his neck with my bare hands, no magic, no wand, just my hands_, he fumed. Counting to ten silently, trying to calm himself down, he paced the hallway outside of her flat. Muttering aloud he came up with a plan, "Ok, I have to go to the hospital and see what is wrong with my father." He paced back past her, "Saturday morning I will be here at nine with a portkey." He paced back the other direction, "We'll go to Hogwarts and I'll meet with the headmistress." Pacing the back again, Ginny watched his progress like a spectator at a tennis match, "After I meet with her we can celebrate, and then go to the quidditch match." Stomping past again, "After the match you'll want to spend some time with your brother," and she smiled as she noticed the grimace pass his face when he mentioned Charlie. "And then when we're finally alone we'll have this foolish talk you keep insisting upon about friends," he waved his fingers around, making quotes in the air around the word friends, causing her to giggle. He was the most out of control she'd ever seen him, and it humanized him, making her warm to him even more. "Ok then, that's the plan, done and done" he stomped past again, while she covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh in his face when he was so clearly full of anxiety. He stopped directly in front of her, pulled her quickly against his body and planted a hot wet kiss on her lips. "As much as I want to follow this through to fruition, Ginevra" drawling out her name deliciously, "I have to leave you. Saturday morning at nine, be ready for me," he demanded, and then apparated away with a wink.

After he was gone, she slid down the wall and clutched her knees to her chest, resting her forehead on her bent legs. Mumbling into herself she said, "Oh I'm ready for you Draco, that's the problem. I'm all too ready for parts of you. But the rest of you may just be the end of me."

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Late on Thursday afternoon, Draco and Theo were finishing up some final touches on the proposal for Headmistress McGonagall. Looking at his watch, Draco realize how late it had become, and suggested to Theo that they enjoy a drink at the weekly firm happy hour.

"I can't mate, I skipped out on dinner with the Parkinson's last week – Pansy's mum gets suspicious if I miss out too often." Theo knew the real reason Draco wanted to go out, and encouraged his friend, "Why don't you go on over without me? We both know I'm not the company you want to keep tonight."

Draco had the good grace to be embarrassed, and grinned at Theo, waving goodbye as he made his way off to find Ginny.

Walking into the pub, he noticed the trio of legal wizards swarming around the beautiful redhead like moths to a flame. He hated the jealousy that flared in the pit of his stomach, seeing those "friends" leering at her beauty, hating that they couldn't see, didn't see, that she belonged with him. _This weekend_, he swore to himself, _we're going to get this cleared up, no matter what she says otherwise. _His stomach lurched sideways when she turned her head and caught sight of him. Grinning broadly, she waved to him, quickly saying goodbye to her companions (who glowered at him across the room) and came to his side.

"I didn't expect to see you until Saturday morning!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "How is your father doing?" she lowered her voice to a whisper and asked more seriously.

He sighed in the contentment of having her near, of the comforting smell of vanilla and cinnamon that enveloped him when she came close, and it took all that he had to not sweep her up in his arms and devour her rosy lips. "Thank you for asking. He's been moved to the hospice ward. He has stabilized, but the healers say that it is only a matter of time." He paused and smiled for the first time since he had left her outside her flat, "Have you eaten? Would you care to join me?"

"I had a quick snack so that I wasn't drinking on an empty stomach, but I'll sit with you. And have some dessert," she shot him her lopsided grin, a twinkle in her eye as she thought of a sugary treat. As the hostess led them to a table upstairs, Draco rested his hand in the small of her back, guiding her forward. He turned back to the trio of her buddies, making eye contact with them, silently claiming her as he consoled himself enjoying the warmth that radiated off of her.

Draco ordered just a salad and a bowl of soup, while Ginny ordered something called Death by Chocolate. As their food was served, Ginny teased him, "Is eating light the way you keep fit? You should live a little, and have dessert first."

"Not all of us are blessed with your apparent magical metabolism, Miss Weasley. Don't tell me that just your yoga class is what keeps you in such good shape." _And my, what a shape it is_, he thought to himself.

Ginny giggled at his teasing, while savoring the chocolate over her tongue. Draco noticed her movements and conversation stalled to silence as they stared in each other's eyes. Shaking his head, Draco started the conversation back up with the favor he had been meaning to ask of her. "Speaking of your yoga class, what would it take for me to convince you to skip it next week? I need the help of a witch, and was hoping that if you were interested, you might want to bring a few of your girlfriends along."

"Now Draco, that sounds like the kind of offer Blaise might make, before he decided to settle down with Luna!" she exclaimed sharply.

"No, no, you're putting words in my mouth, Ginverva. And get your mind out of the gutter!" he shook his head, laughing with her. "I have been cleaning out the Manor, and was hoping that you, and perhaps a few of your girlfriends, might help me with my mother's wardrobe. I have been told that the resale on her clothing won't be that profitable, but I truly would hate to see it simply go to waste. How would you and Luna and Granger like to come over on Tuesday night and see if there are any robes or gowns that might suit you? I should invite Pansy too, but you could have a girls' night together. I promise, I won't disturb you once you're in the suite."

"Well," Ginny drew out the word thoughtfully, "I'll have to check with 'Mione and Luna. I'm sure you will understand that they might not be keen to spend time at your house, given the way your father has always treated them. But it sounds like it would be fun. And Luna speaks well of Pansy these days."

Draco drew in a breath sharply, "The Manor is not my house, it was my parents' estate. I have not called that place my home in years, decades even. I would hope that you could explain that to them. And tell them that through their aid, we will be closing a chapter on that part of the world forever." His cheeks were flushed and his eyes flashed with fire behind the ice of the grey.

Ginny reached over and put her hand over his. "Draco, calm down. Believe me, Hermione and I both know well that people aren't what they seem. I just want to discuss this with them before I say yes to you."

Draco and Ginny continued to hold hands across the table, looking into each other's eyes. Draco felt as if he could stare into her eyes for days, falling into their dark depths, finding comfort and warmth there forever. Ginny chewed her bottom lip and thought about the predicament she was in, how she was drawn into the silvery pools while she knew she shouldn't be falling for him so quickly. It wasn't rational, it wasn't the way she had led her life since Harry had left her. The server tried to be discrete as he left the check, but the spell was broken and they both glanced away flushed.

Rising from the table, having left a generous pile of galleons behind to pay, Draco offered Ginny his hand and helped her up. "Shall I escort you back to our building? I haven't moved into my flat yet, but I can floo over to the manor from the lobby. I'd like to see you home safely."

Ginny nodded, "It's a beautiful night, I think I'll enjoy the walk." She smiled at him as he held the restaurant door open for her, and took her hand. Walking hand in hand in companionable silence, the pair both kept to their own thoughts while enjoying the contentment of being together.

As they entered the lobby, Ginny turned to him and said, "I think we should say goodnight here. Our last trip in the lift together was a little, ahem, shall we say, more than friendly?"

Draco sighed and leaned in, hoping and then surprised that she allowed him to kiss her gently on the cheek. "Fine then, though I don't agree with you. Our last ride in the lift was perfect." He changed the subject when he saw her wrinkle her nose at him, "I should have the floo connected to my flat by Saturday – why don't you meet me up there that morning and we'll portkey from there?"

"That sounds perfect. Thank you Draco, it this has been lovely. Have a nice evening, and I'll see you Saturday," Ginny waved to him and threw him a smile as she made her way into the lift.

Draco stood in the middle of the lobby, watching her walk away. The witch leaving him had taken his heart, and he had no idea how it had happened so fast. Whistling, he made his way to the floo to head back to the manor. Saturday morning could not come fast enough, for either of them.

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Friday afternoon an owl tapped on the window near Ginny's desk. She put down the parchment she had been reading over and walked to meet the majestic beast that was waiting for her. Rolling her eyes, she knew that a creature of such elegance and beauty could only belong to one person, and as she took the package from it's leg, she knew she was right. Giving the owl a treat from the jar she kept handy for such purposes, the bird stared at her for a moment as if it was confirming that she would open the delivery and then soared away. _His owl is a far cry from my dear little Pigwidgeon,_ she thought to herself.

Picking the package back up from her desk, she unwrapped it to find a small box of exquisite dark chocolates formed in the shape of little hearts and flowers. They were beautiful and delicate and perhaps one of the most expensive gifts she had ever been given, outside of any of the jewelry Harry had given her. She thought it was absurd that he would spend so many galleons on something so fleeting, so consumable, but the smell wafting off of the box was luring her in.

Being the sister of the mad genius behind some of the more dastardly boxes of trick candies in the wizarding world, Ginny was wise enough to not bite into the candy without reading the note first. Unrolling the attached parchment, she found an elegant script with each letter almost drawn on as if in a piece of art.

Ginevra_, _

_I saw these and thought of you. I am very much looking forward to spending tomorrow with you. _

_Draco_

She didn't know that he had agonized over the words for hours, crumbling up piece of parchment after parchment, finally deciding on something simple and straightforward and honest. He was not a man for cheesy poems; he was not a man of elegant comparisons.

What he didn't know was that all of the men who had courted her before, from the childhood romances at school, to her relationship with Potter, and all of the wizards who had failed since, thought that fancy poems were the way to her heart. After all, what witch wouldn't be moved by a love poem? At the heart of things, Ginny was a practical woman, and what she needed, especially after the silly rhymes Harry would come up with (once pairing 'red' with 'bed head') was someone to just tell her the truth. Also, she knew that all of the poems had been written by someone else, and what she really wanted was to someone to tell her how they felt with their own words.

She clutched the note to her chest briefly, catching a whiff of his cologne, and smiled. There was a tickle in her stomach, butterflies dancing, where there had been nothing but a dull ache for so long. _Could he be right?_ she thought. _Could this actually work? Could the chemistry they so obviously had actually be more than just lust?_ _Could Draco_ _Malfoy actually be the wizard to make her happy, a wizard to trust?_

The simple words on the parchment had done so much for her, two simple sentences that set him apart from all of her previous suitors. She hadn't even tasted the chocolate yet, but she had made a decision. She would listen to him tomorrow with an open mind. She would be honest with him and see where their relationship could go from there. Then she slipped one of the decadent chocolates into her mouth, savoring the way it melted over her tongue and she rolled the flavor around in her mouth. There was something rich there, something smoky and warm, that reminded her of him. _Could she try a relationship, her first real relationship since Harry had left her, with Draco Malfoy?_ _With the Slytherin Prince?_ she pondered. Reaching for a second chocolate, thinking back to the way he felt pressed against her in the hallway, how warm he was, she made the decision and said aloud to herself – "Oh hell yes."

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A/N: Thanks for reading. I'm truly hoping to get back to my twice a week updates until this is finished. It's driving me crazy to have the epilogue bouncing around in my head already and not be there yet. Thanks for your patience. (Home ownership is a nightmare sometimes. Blech!)

Coming up - I know I promised this update would be the return to campus, but really, next chapter. I swear.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

Thank you to everyone who have favorited/reviewed/subscribed. I don't have a beta, so those of you with grammar/spelling/formatting suggestions in particular are helpful! :)

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Saturday morning Ginny rose early and took extra time getting ready. She wanted to put a special effort into looking nice, but not enough so that it was obvious that her intentions had changed. Choosing to tease Draco a bit through her clothes, she picked a pair of plaid Capri pants in Gryffindor colors, and a matching gold sweater that brought out a twinkle in her eyes and the highlights in her hair. Satisfied that she looked both casual and still approachably sexy, she smiled at herself in the mirror with confidence as she put the finishing touches on her makeup.

Not knowing if Draco had any wards set up for protection to his new flat, she chose to take the lift up to the penthouse. Knocking on the door, she found it unlocked, and as it swung open she called out, "Good morning. Is anyone home? Draco?"

Draco had been leaning against the counter in the kitchen, cradling a cup of tea, waiting for her with baited breath, hoping she would still show up. It seemed to him that their friendship, or whatever it was, was so tenuous that he didn't know where he stood from day to day. He hoped that by the end of the day they would be able to come to an understanding. As the door he had left cracked for her swung forward, he pushed himself off of the counter and glided swiftly across the room. Ginny watched the way he moved, like a caged animal, with the muscles in his back and arms rolling underneath the heather grey polo shirt, and admired the man that he had become. "There you are," she gave him her lopsided grin, "I hope I haven't left you waiting long."

As he met her in the middle of the empty room, he took her hands and pulled her to him, kissing her on the cheek. When she relaxed into him, he smirked a bit into her hair, suddenly full of optimism for the day. Letting go of her, he replied "No, I needed to bring a few things over from the manor, so I've been here for a bit. Have you eaten, would you like a cup of tea before we leave? I brought over a pot of breakfast tea and some snacks just in case."

"How kind of you, but I did have a bite before I came up," she replied, looking around the vast empty space. "Do we have time instead for you to show me around? I've never been up here before." She looked at the hardwood floors and the white walls, thinking how barren and sterile it looked, and it made her sad for him. She looked up to him, meeting his eyes, wondering how he felt knowing that soon he'd be alone, his mother already gone and his father in hospice. "I'd like to hear your ideas for how you're going to decorate," looking around the room again and seeing only a few boxes, "I'm so surprised at how empty it still is. Aren't you going to bring any furniture over from the manor?"

"Ah my dear," he smirked at her again, teasing, "that is all part of the plan that will unfold today. Just wait and see, just you wait. Shall I show you around and then we can head over to campus?" Putting one hand on her back and gesturing widely to the space, "Let's start down here, and then move to the upper level. I left the portkey upstairs by the second fireplace. I had thought you might floo up, and that is the one I've opened to the floo network."

"I didn't know if your floo would be open to me, or what security charms you might have in place," she murmured, testing the waters of how thoroughly he had been thinking of her.

Draco swung her back around to him and put his hands on her shoulders, facing her, "Ginevra, you must know by now that my house is open to you. You are most welcome here, and always will be. The wards and charms on this space will keep me safe, but also you." The sides of his silver eyes crinkled as he smiled down at her, and she rested her head against his chest briefly. Unbeknownst to Draco, he had passed another test. It had taken close to six months for Harry to code her into the charms for his flat, claiming that he just couldn't be sure when a Death Eater might use her to gain access. That Draco had opened his home to her so swiftly and so fully touched her so deeply that that his gesture strengthened her resolve. She was going to try to make this work, she was going to try to break out of the years of pain, and try her hardest to turn a former enemy into a lover.

Pulling back from him, she gestured around the open space and said, "so are you going to paint the walls? What will you use these rooms for? Do you have a color scheme?"

Laughing at her, Draco leaned against the wall. "Ginevra, I'm a wizard. I know that I need things like a sofa and a bed, but what they look like, well, let's just say any input you may have, I'd be delighted to have your help. Without my mother around to decorate for me, the manor and all of our other properties have stayed the same fashion since her death. Though my sense of style is a lot more modern than anything that the manor has ever seen." Looking at his watch he realized they needed to get moving and said, "why don't we head on over to campus so that I can meet with the headmistress? And perhaps in the near future we can come up with some ideas for this space?" He led her upstairs to the tower he had planned on using as the library, where almost all of the boxes he had brought from the manor were sitting. "As you can see, I've brought over mostly books so far, and after today I should have a better idea of a time frame for moving over my personal items." He pointed to an old Potions textbook sitting on the mantle of the fireplace, "That's our portkey. It will activate as soon as we both touch it. Are you ready? Shall we be going?"

Walking across the room together, Ginny turned up to him as they both reached for the textbook. "Thank you for today Draco, I think we'll have a good time. I appreciate you inviting me." They put their hands on the portkey and he pulled her close to him as they both felt that familiar tug in their abdomens, though they'd both admit that part of the tingles in their stomach was due to their excitement for being together, and being close.

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Landing swiftly within the grounds, Draco checked his watch again. "I need to meet with the headmistress in a few minutes. Will you be going to your brother's now? Should we just plan on meeting up at the game?"

Ginny shook her head, "No, we'll be meeting up with Charlie and Angelina after the game. Do you think you'll be long with Minerva? I think I'll just stay on campus, see how things have changed since my last visit here. You know how the castle likes to change itself every time you turn around."

"I don't think it will take long for me to meet with her, but just in case, let's just plan on meeting at the pitch. If I'm done sooner I'll find you," looking at his watch again.

Ginny could tell that he was anxious, and waved him on, "Go, go, we'll meet up when you're done." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, "and good luck." Smiling at him, she loved the look of surprise on his face, as she pushed him towards the castle.

Headmistress McGonagall opened the door of her office, and ushered Draco in, "Come in, come in Mr. Malfoy, it is just lovely to see you. I trust that you're doing well? And how is your father?"

Draco took the seat she had gestured to, and stretched out his legs. "I am indeed doing well, however my father is in hospice care. That is part of the reason I wanted to meet with you today in fact. I'd like to discuss what will happen after he passes on." Draco looked around the office and noticed that they were meeting in a more casual sitting area, surrounded by windows, with a view of the lake. Squinting out the window he noticed a small redheaded figure making her way around the water. _She's going to her secret spot_, he smiled to himself, _perfect, that will be just perfect_.

Pouring them both cups of tea, Minerva shuddered, "I am sorry to hear about Lucius. While we didn't see eye to eye on many things, it is still sad to hear." Leaning back in her chair and sipping her tea, "Now Draco, what can I help you with?"

"Headmistress, when my father dies, I will be the last of the Malfoys. I am in fact taking legal steps to ensure that. And as you know, our fortune is vast. So vast in fact, that I would never be able to spend it all in my lifetime. What I would like to do is to give you our estate, with the manor, and all of the surrounding grounds. I have an auction planned to sell off the contents, and the proceeds of that will go to you, not you personally I mean, but to the school, as well. What I was thinking is that the wizarding world could use a preparatory school for students to attend prior to Hogwarts. A day school where the very young witches and wizards could come and learn the basics, reading, writing, arithmetic, and other such subjects. Many families today are having more children than before, rebuilding our race after the war, but from what I've researched, there aren't that many tutors left. By inviting the children to come to a school together, without houses, they could all start on the same page and be better prepared when they enter Hogwarts for their continued wizarding educations." Draco exhaled, and he was surprised at how relieved he was to finally have the proposal in front of the headmistress.

"Mr. Malfoy!" Minerva exclaimed, "your generosity is overwhelming and has taken me completely by surprise!" She sighed deeply and fanned herself a little, taken aback by the changes Draco had offered to the wizarding world. "You realize that I can't make this decision on my own. I'll have to take this to the school governors of course. But what you have offered to Hogwarts, no, to the children of the entire wizarding world, is simply, well I'm without words."

"Once my father passes, I am prepared to sign over our property to the school. The auction should be in the next week or so; I have been working with a wizard auction house to ensure that all of the dark objects have been disposed of safely and properly. I will be clearing out both my mother's suite and my own in the next week, but will wait to do my father's until he has left us, out of respect. Based on the estimates of the auctioneers, I would expect that the proceeds of the auction and the sale of our family properties in Madrid, Amsterdam, Vienna and Rome, will allow the school to function for decades without contributions from other sources. The house is large enough that a wing can be used as suites for professors who chose to live on site, and the remaining rooms for any classrooms that you might need, as well as the ballroom and kitchens. There is a stable and an extensive garden as well. After our meeting today, I plan on speaking with the staff and offering them the option of staying on at the school if they so choose. I plan on keeping the galleons in our vaults, but after I pass on, any remaining amount will be transferred to the school as well." Draco was becoming excited as he detailed the plans to the headmistress, hoping that his plan for a positive change would equal out some of the horrible things his father had done.

"I can see that you've done your research, though I would expect nothing less from you, Draco. What you are proposing is such a major change; it will require significant thought and many discussions with the governors, as well as the Ministry. I will tell you however that this is such an exciting proposal, that if it were up to me we would start immediately. In fact, I think I will start putting the word out for potential teachers – filling positions, coming up with a curriculum, getting the word out to the parents of potential students – this is a major undertaking, but this could truly change our world. How much involvement would you like to have, after the manor changes hands?" Minerva fed off of Draco's excitement, adding in no small amount of her own.

"To tell you the truth Headmistress, after today, I really don't see the need for my involvement at all. I have a team of lawyers; I believe you have already spoken with Tracey Davis, working for me. I trust you and Ms Davis to move forward with the governors and the ministry without me. Tracey has the authority to act for me legally, and my thought would be to draw up papers that as of my father's death, the estate officially would become Hogwarts property," Draco explained. "I would really like to move on with my life, and start living it in a manner that my father perhaps would not approve of. I know that, but the reality is that I just want to live a normal wizarding life, not the life as the Malfoy heir."

Minerva looked across the table at him, and then she too glanced out the window, seeing Ginny resting under a tree in the sun. "Draco, I can not imagine what you have gone through, given the upbringing that you have had. But if you'll let me say, I am impressed with the man you have become. And if you would take my advice, I would just remind you that a life lived alone is not a life worth living. Promise me that your future plans involve friends and people to love."

Draco rose, and offered a hand to Minerva. "I will indeed promise you that. In fact, I should be meeting with one of those people right now," glancing out the window again. "Miss Weasley and I will be joining you at the quidditch match later today. I do hope you'll consider my offer, and while I grant you all rights to move forward without me, if you have any questions or concerns please let me know."

Minerva rose as well, shaking Draco's hand. "Please let me thank you, for your offer. The scope of which has my head spinning. But confidentially, I believe that it will be accepted very swiftly. I invite you to continue to be involved, but will move forward with your legal team in the meantime." Smiling warmly at the man standing before her, she suddenly reached across and engulfed him in an enormous hug. Her voice rose a few octaves and she hugged him even more tightly, "Draco, you are doing so well. I am proud to have called you a student. And few things would make me happier than to build this school, and to see you happy as well. And I do believe that Ginny could be a large part of that."

Grinning broadly, his face lighting up at the idea that someone so important to Ginny would encourage their relationship, Draco hugged Minerva back. "Thank you very much. For everything. We will see you soon, and I know she is looking forward to seeing you. Thank you, truly." Breaking their hug, he then left the tower to find Ginny and celebrate.

XXXXX

Draco made his way to Ginny's special spot along the lake, strolling along whistling, with his hands in his pockets. Once in awhile he'd aimlessly kick a stone into the lake, and smile up at the sun. A weight had been lifted from his back, and he was so happy to know that soon, very soon, he'd be living his own life, not the life of the Malfoy heir.

Ginny had been stretched out on her back, listening to the water in the lake, and enjoying the sun on her face. She heard the whistling approach her, but assumed that it was a student, because really, did Malfoys whistle? When a shadow stood over her, blocking the sun, she opened her eyes and was surprised to see that it was in fact her companion for the day. "How did you know where to find me?" she asked, resting her hand over her eyes to better look up to him.

Draco lay down on the ground next to her, resting his head on his arms folded behind him. "I could confess to you that I've known that this was your special spot for years. Ever since the year with the Carrows, you've found comfort here, haven't you?"

Ginny turned her head to look at him, surprised. "Yes, the sound of the water soothes me and helps me think. But how did you know?"

"We were each assigned a fellow student to keep an eye on. I volunteered to watch you," he explained. "Don't get me wrong, it wasn't entirely selfless. You were high profile, considering your relationship with the trio, so it looked good for me to step up and watch you. But you were also beautiful even then, so you were certainly more fun to watch than say, Longbottom," turning and grinning at her.

Laughing at his confession, Ginny could see that he seemed different, almost happy. "How did your meeting with Minerva go?" she inquired.

Draco shifted his arm to pull Ginny close to him. With his arm around her and her head resting on his chest, he explained his plan for the estate, the auction, and the school. She listened intently, marveling at what a selfless and generous wizard he had turned into. It almost seemed as if everything his father stood for, Draco was rebelling against completely and totally.

"Draco, I am so happy for you. This is such a major decision, but it sounds like one you have thought through well. I really am happy for you," she shifted a little bit and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Looking up at the sun as if she could tell the time, she asked, "Should we be going to the match?"

"We should, but first I would like to give you something," Draco said, pulling her up so that she straddled him. Reaching into his pocket, he handed her a small jewelry box. Ginny opened it and found the thinnest most delicate silver chain she had ever seen, with a small dragon charm dangling from it. Draco continued, "I hope you will wear it, as it is charmed between the two of us."

Ginny gasped at how beautiful it was, fingering the delicate charm gently. "What exactly do you mean by charmed between the two of us?"

He looked up at the beauty that rested atop him, the sun behind her creating a halo around her fiery mane. "I want to assure you of my intentions. And to promise to you that I will try my hardest to never hurt you. I want you to be able to trust me. So the dragon charm is tied to my emotions. It will alert you to when I am in danger, or when I am feeling anything particularly powerful or strong. What I want you to use it for is as a reassurance that I am yours and only yours."

"Are you giving this to me to head off our talk of only being friends?" She smiled down at him, eyes twinkling as she fastened the necklace around her neck.

With a loud sharp laugh, Draco rolled Ginny off of him and pinned her underneath him, "You've caught me," he teased "but regardless, I refuse to discuss this silly notion of friendship. I think we both want more than that, and I think you'll see that a Malfoy always gets what he wants." He leaned down and kissed her, first gently and then more insistently.

She returned the kiss, but they were interrupted by the sound of the students spilling out of the castle down to the pitch. Not wishing to corrupt minors, Ginny rolled out from under Draco, brushed off her pants and rose. She offered him a hand to pull him up and said, "we probably should be heading down to meet Minerva, we don't want to keep her waiting. She might be suspicious."

He could hear the teasing in her voice and replied, "Why are you worried? It's not like we're going to have points taken from our houses, or detention." He winked and rose as well. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look today? Despite the _color _choice, you truly are a vision."

Blushing slightly, "Thank you, but how could I not dress to support my house? This is going to be a great competition, and you need to know where my loyalties are."

"Would you care to make a wager on the game then," he joked, wrapping his arm around her waist as they walked towards the pitch. "If Slytherin wins, you have to come to dinner with me tomorrow at Theo and Pansy's."

"I'll take that bet, Mr. Malfoy. But if Gryffindor wins, you have to come to the burrow with me tomorrow instead." She smiled smugly at him, sure that he would be horrified at the thought of being surrounded by her family so soon into their relationship. _A relationship_, she marveled, _apparently I'm in a relationship with Draco freaking Malfoy!_

Instead of being mortified however, he just leaned in and whispered with a sultry voice in her ear, "Instead of shaking on it, how about we seal the bet with a kiss?"

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A/N: Thank you guys again! I hope to update again later this week.

Coming up: Drinks with Charlie and the winner of the bet


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

Thank you for reading and the feedback. It means so much, really. :)

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The quidditch match was an extremely close and fast paced game. For every quaffle that the Slytherins tossed through the goal, the Gryffindor chasers met them point for point. Ginny almost screamed herself hoarse cheering, and it quickly became clear that the game would come down to the seekers. Several times Ginny noticed a sharp warmth radiate from the dragon charm around her neck, and glancing at Draco at those times, he would be red in the face as he cheered his team forward. The seeker for Gryffindor was a petite young girl, her first year on the team, and Ginny cheered the hardest for her, feeling a kinship as she soared above the pitch, eyes alert and prowling for the snitch. The final moments of the game came down to the girl spiraling towards the ground just a few seconds ahead of the male Slytherin seeker, grasping with her fingertips and finally clutching the snitch in her tiny fingers. The stands went wild as the Gryffindor fans began to celebrate, and the Slytherins booed good-naturedly. Overjoyed, Ginny threw herself first at Minerva, celebrating the win for their house, jumping up and down, and then at Draco, murmuring into his ear, "I told you we'd win. Now let me buy you a drink to make up for it."

He held her tightly, not ready to let her go despite his subconscious reaction to pout at the loss, and whispered back, "I can think of other ways I'd rather you make it up to me."

She pulled away, a twinkle in her eye, and pretended to gasp, "In front of my brother? Draco, you're incorrigible!"

Draco loved the way she glowed from within, bouncing and skipping along the path to Hogsmeade as they held hands. She practically danced around him celebrating the win, and though he didn't know it, her new resolve to find happiness with him. He held the door of the Three Broomsticks open for her as she shimmied her way in to meet Charlie and Angelina. Turning back to thank him, she caught his eye and mouthed, "this will be ok, I promise" sensing his trepidation.

"There you are my girl! Let's celebrate another season of Gryffindor superiority!" cheered Charlie, as they made their way to the table. He was the largest of the Weasley clan, and it was easy for him to lift Ginny from the ground and completely engulf her in a hug. After he had put her down, Ginny leaned over the table and gave Angelina a peck on the cheek in warm welcome as well.

"Angelina, I think you remember Draco" Ginny introduced him to her family members, as Draco extended a hand to shake in welcome. "And Charlie, I don't know that you've ever met in person before."

"No, but your reputation precedes you Mr. Malfoy" Charlie grasped a bit more tightly at Draco's hand than necessary, making his point of physical strength. "I hope you won't mind sharing a table with three celebrating Gryffindors this afternoon."

"Not at all," Draco replied, "your lovely sister has offered to buy me a drink to make it up to me." He gazed knowingly at Ginny, implying that she'd truly be making it up to him later, when they were alone. "It was a good game, wasn't it? It brought me back to my old days as seeker on the house team. There were a few moments I thought my heart would stop, and those seekers are going to be a good pair to watch compete through the years."

"You were a seeker Draco? I don't think I realized that," Charlie said thoughtfully. "So that means my beloved here is the only one of us who can't appreciate the thrill of the chase for the snitch," he teased Angelina with a squeeze to the leg.

"Oh Charlie, don't start," Ginny smacked him on the arm. "I was a chaser as well, and before you talk up the importance of the seeker over the chasers, I'll remind you that each player of the team has an important job. Seekers aren't inherently the most important members of the team."

"That's ok Ginny," Angelina smiled at her husband with an evil glint, "Charlie and I had to long ago concede this fight. As long as he remembers that I was a captain as well, it will be fine. Don't go looking to Draco to add support to your argument, unless you want to sleep on the couch tonight."

Charlie waved his hands in the air in defeat, "ok, ok, you win," he said laughingly. "Ladies, what can I get you to drink?" he asked, "Judging by the crowd today, I think we might be better off if I go up to the bar and bring something back for us all. Draco, care to give me a hand?"

"I'll take my usual love," Angelina replied, and Ginny nodded in agreement as Draco rose with Charlie.

After placing the order for two firewhiskeys and two butterbeers, the wizards leaned against the bar waiting for their order. Charlie looked Draco over, noticing that he never went long without keeping a watchful eye on Ginny. _A protective suitor would do Ginny well_, he thought, _especially one who only had eyes for her_. "So, you had a talk with George, I've heard?"

Draco nodded, deciding silence was the best route until he had a better feel for the elder Weasley brother.

"He explained what Harry did to her? How much he hurt her, hurt all of us?"

Draco nodded again, determination in his eyes and anger on his face.

"He told you that we'd hurt you worse if you hurt her?"

Draco nodded a third time, and opened his mouth to defend himself, but Charlie stopped him.

"No, it's good. You don't need to defend yourself. Just know that if you hurt her, I'll feed you to a dragon and no one will be the wiser. Ah, there are our drinks, let's join our lovely ladies."

As they sat back down, the girls were laughing together and Charlie quirked an eyebrow at them. "Care to let us in on the joke?"

Ginny smiled up to the wizards, "No joke Charlie, I was just telling Angelina about how we bumped into Draco the day I took all of the kids to get their birthday brooms. I suspect that if John hadn't knocked Draco off of the curb, we wouldn't be here together now."

"So you've met Dora and John then, Draco?" Charlie asked, attempting to get a feel for Draco's true opinion of the heir situation.

"Ah, yes, the ones who look a bit like Lila, only redheads? Your children are, well, shall we say, spirited?" Draco attempted diplomatically.

Angelina snorted into her drink. "Spirited? Ha! Draco, you're too kind. Complete and total heathens and I fully admit it. I keep telling Charlie that there is a huge difference between raising children and raising dragons."

"But those dragons _were_ my children!" Charlie laughingly defended himself, and Draco and Ginny both laughed along, Charlie's cheer being completely contagious.

Ginny wiped the tears of laughter out of the corners of her eyes and casually put a hand on Draco's knee. Then turning to Angelina she said, "Oh, before I forget, what are you doing on Tuesday night? Do you think you can send the kids to Mum's, or Charlie can watch them? Draco is setting up a ladies night at the Manor and I think you should come too."

Both Charlie and Angelina leaned in, curious to learn more, but it was Angelina that spoke. "And why would Draco do something like that?"

Draco patted Ginny on the arm, and then rested his hand on top of hers. "It is less of a ladies night and more of asking you to do a favor for me. I'm selling all of the belongings in the estate, but I can't bring myself to just let random witches go through my mother's belongings. I was hoping that Ginevra and a few of her friends might help me by going through her wardrobe and seeing if anything suited them. Please, think about coming." He turned to Charlie and said, "Once the ladies are settled in, I will leave them completely to their own discretion," turning back to Angelina, "you should know though that I've invited Pansy Nott along as well."

"Hmmm," Angelina pondered, "I don't usually join you girls on Tuesdays since it's such a trip from Hogsmeade to do every week, but I think for this, I can make an exception. What do you think Charlie, can you keep an eye on John and Dora for a few hours?"

"Sweetheart, I used to wrestle Welsh Greens for fun, I think I can handle our own blood for a few hours," Charlie protested.

"Darling," Angelina drawled out sarcastically, "Welsh Greens are one thing, it's the Scottish Red Heads I'm worried about."

"So speaking of your little dragons, where are they tonight?" Ginny asked, as she had hoped to stop in and see her niece and nephew before they left Hogsmeade.

"Mum has them," Charlie replied, "when I mentioned coming out with you this evening, she offered to take them for the night. They're going to stay and then we'll just get them at the family dinner tomorrow. You know how Mum likes to spend time with her grandkids."

"I do, though I guess I'll just have to wait a day to see them. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to the ladies. Angelina, care to join me?" she asked.

As the witches rose from the table and crossed the pub, Charlie commented, "I don't know why they have to do that in pairs. I guess it gives them time to gossip about us though."

"There's not much to gossip about between your sister and me, I promise. Speaking of your family dinner however, it appears I will be joining you tomorrow. If you have any tips or suggestions that will prepare me, I'd appreciate it." Draco had swallowed his pride, but felt that if he was honest with this Weasley brother too, he might have a firmer footing amid their whole clan.

Charlie gave Draco a brief rundown of all of the attendees expected, and those who would be missing, and a few tips for dealing with each. "I think you underestimate the level of gossip surrounding you though, Draco. I know that wizards aren't usually as chatty about things as witches are, but you have to admit, you come back to London and you are suddenly seen around town with Harry Potter's ex. You don't have to be Rita Skeeter to want to know the details of that."

Draco sighed and took a sip of his drink, "I understand. But if you will believe the truth, I am really only worried about what your family thinks of us, and Ginny's friends. My friends are happy for me if I'm happy, and they like and respect your sister. I'm a Malfoy, we never really care much about what the rest of the world thinks of us."

Just then the two witches returned to the table, and Angelina asked, "What are you two talking about? I don't think I like the idea of you two with your heads together, conspiring."

Charlie looked up to his beautiful wife, and smiled. "Love, no conspiring. I just found out that Draco will be coming to dinner tomorrow. And given that the three of you all speak of his skills on a broom, we're just talking about how nice it will be to have some real talent when we play a pick up quidditch match tomorrow." Charlie winked at Draco, letting him know that their talk would stay between them.

"Brilliant!" Angelina replied, nudging Ginny in the process. "This means we can boot Percy off the team?"

XXXXX

After a few more drinks, the two couples decided to part ways, though the two wizards had gotten along much better than anyone anticipated. Ginny and Angelina had formulated a theory while in the ladies room, that since Charlie had not been at Hogwarts at all while Draco was there, so he had only Ron's ranting to base his opinion on. And given the source, well, it was easier than Ginny had hoped.

Waving goodbye as the married Weasleys made their way up the path to their cottage, arm in arm, Draco checked his watch, noting that they were right on time for their return portkey. He wrapped an arm around Ginny, pulling her close, and then held out the charmed pencil for her to grasp onto as well. Feeling that familiar tug in their middles, the air rushed around them, and seconds later they reappeared in the library of Draco's new flat.

Ginny turned to him as she regained her balance, "Thank you again for a lovely day. I really appreciate you taking me with you, and for spending time with my family." She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand, and blushing. "It's getting late though, and I hate to monopolize your entire weekend, since we'll be dining together tomorrow."

"I really can't believe that my team failed me. And Pansy and Luna were so looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Regardless, let me escort you downstairs." When Ginny protested that it was a simple lift ride (and Draco did love to corner her in the lift), or that she could floo down, he argued back, "Ginerva, don't fight me. I might not take pride in much that my family raised me with, but I am a gentleman."

Relishing the sound of her name on his lips, how he all but purred as it rolled off his tongue, she acquiesced. She walked out of his flat first, allowing him to rest hand against her back as he guided her from behind. He leaned against the back wall of the lift, pulling her close to him, and she savored the heat that rolled off of his body. It was a short ride down to her floor, and as the door opened she raised herself off of him, trailing her hand down his arm pulling him out with her by the fingertips.

As she reached her door, she turned shyly to him and said, "I've made it here safely, thank you." She stretched up to him and gave him a quick kiss. "Do you want to floo over to the Burrow together tomorrow?"

He leaned forward and gave her one peck, and then another. "I think that might be best. I don't want your mother to hex me if I show up in her living room without you. What time should I be here?"

Pecking him back, once, twice, and a third time, "How about a little before four? We eat early, and usually spend the evening together doing something fun, like flying or a quidditch scrimmage. But if you're uncomfortable we can leave earlier, I promise." She smiled up to him warmly, tired, but not really interested in letting him go yet.

He nodded, "Spending time with Charlie and Angelina wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be. I hope tomorrow goes as well. Now, how about a real goodnight kiss? Something to help me sleep better tonight?"

On her tippy toes, she stretched up, pulling him down to her by the back of his neck. She pressed herself into him and kissed him with intent. He leaned down to her and lifted her into his arms, straightening up and smiling into the kiss. He nibbled on her bottom lip and she sighed against him, murmuring, "I'd invite you in, but I'm not ready for that yet. I'm sorry, but I'm not."

Keeping her close, he tried not to sound exasperated, only tempering down his arousal. "There is no need to apologize, I promise. I want to do this right, and don't want to rush you and scare you away."

Leaning her head against his chest, she mumbled quietly, almost to the point that she couldn't be heard. "I haven't been with anyone since Harry. I haven't been with anyone _but _Harry. I just need to take this slow."

Draco pulled himself back enough to look in her eyes, marveling. "Only Potter? How can that be? Please don't take this badly, but you're so beautiful, you're one of the most naturally sexy witches I've ever met. How is it that you've only been with one wizard? Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I'm just, well…"

Ginny interrupted him, "My mother raised me to believe that sex was something special, something not to be taken lightly. So I haven't. Everyone always assumed I'd end up married to Harry, so none of the boys I dated in school really pushed the issue, out of fear of Ron and Harry. And then after Harry, well, I just, I haven't, I well, don't…" She too floundered for words, trying to explain herself, embarrassment rising.

He leaned in and kissed her, softly and gently, and held her tightly after breaking the kiss. "I meant what I said, Gin, I want to do this right. I am not judging you, as long as you promise you won't judge me for that part of my past either. We'll work this out, at your speed. I'm not saying I don't want to break down this door and ravage you, but I also have had the fear put in me by two of your brothers so far, so I won't do anything you don't want me to."

She raised her eyes to his and stared into his eyes. A tear rolled down one cheek, and before she could wipe it, he rubbed it away with his thumb. "No tears love, no tears." He whispered. "Every day with us is a new day, a step into the future. Forget the past, no tears."

Throwing her arms around him, she kissed him with more passion than she had ever before, almost knocking him off balance with her sudden move. Breaking from the kiss just as suddenly, she opened her door and slipped inside.

Resting his head against the door that separated him, reeling from the passion in her last kiss, Draco raised his fist as if to punch the wall, but stopped himself at the last minute. _Frustration?_ He thought, _yes, but not at her. At Potter. She deserves to be worshipped, not discarded, or treated like just another witch to bed and throw away. He'd show her what it meant when you made love. LOVE. Merlin, have I fallen in love with her?_

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Thanks again! I hope to update over the weekend again (Happy Halloween!). Let me know what you thought (about this chapter or any other).

Up next: A family dinner at the Burrow_  
_


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

Thank you for the reviews, favorites and alerts. Every single one makes me smile. :)

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On Sunday morning, Draco called a meeting in the grand ballroom with the entire staff of the Malfoy estate. Seated around the room were the house elves as well as the wizards who took care of the stables and the witches who maintained the gardens. Rumors had been swirling among the staff ever since Lucius had gone to St. Mungos and Draco had returned, presumably to assume control of the family. For many of the staff, they had never known anything other than working for the Malfoy family, so there were concerns for the future all around. Draco walked to the front of the ballroom, greeted by murmurs and worried faces from humans and elves alike.

"Thank you for taking a few moments from your duties this morning for this meeting. I know that you have all been concerned, as I have been making many changes since I have returned to the estate. I hope that after our conversation today, your fears will be quelled." Draco shifted in front of the faces in front of him, many of whom he had known his entire life. He continued on with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I want you to know that regardless of the decisions that are made today, your futures are safe. And I hope to put the decision of your future in your own hands."

The house elves started to whisper amongst themselves, afraid as they had never heard a member of the Malfoy family speak this way to them. Despite how much Draco tried to reassure them, the elves grew fearful that they were going to be forced out of the only home they had ever known. The elves had been speaking with fear over Draco's actions ever since he had started to work with the auctioneers and packing up the house.

"Yesterday I went to Hogwarts and spoke with the headmistress there. As you know, I have recently purchased a penthouse for myself. The fact of the situation is that this estate is too large for just me, and it always will be. The time for us to find a better use for this estate is now, and I would like your help with that. I have offered this estate to those who run Hogwarts as a primary school for young witches and wizards." Draco smiled again, pleased that his plans were so close to their conclusion.

Excited chatter arose from those in the room, not believing their ears. "What does this mean for us?" inquired one of the gardeners, and almost every other head in the room nodded in agreement.

Shifting again, Draco continued, "Well, you have three choices. First, I am hoping that two of you," he gestured specifically to the elves, "will be willing to come with me to my new home. It is significantly smaller than the manor, and at most, I will be living there with a spouse and any guests that may stay with us."

Zippy, the elf that had interrupted Draco and Ginny in the hallway outside of her flat, nudged his companion Zinnia, and raised his hand. "Young master, Zippy and Zinnia would like to volunteer. Zippy has seen that you are not like other master, and Zippy would be honored to continue to serve the Malfoy family."

"Thank you Zippy, I look forward to having you and Zinnia with me for a long time." Draco looked around the room to the remaining staff. "The second and third options then remain open to the rest of you. I assure you that a decision does not need to be made today, not until my father passes. As for the second option, the headmistress has promised me that any of you who wish to stay on and work in the employ of the school are more than welcome. I look forward to the estate having an atmosphere of happiness and joy the likes of which haven't been seen in recent years, and hope those of you who are interested will stay on for that."

Murmurs filled the room. The elves in the manor had long heard of the way the elves at Hogwarts were treated, and could not believe their good fortune. The gardeners and the stable keepers whispered amongst each other, not quite believing the world that had opened up to them. The Malfoys had always paid generously; generously enough to stay on despite being treated as well, servants. But to think now that Hogwarts would employ them, that was something most of the Malfoy staff had never dreamed of.

"There is a third option of course. Unlike my father, I do not believe in forcing any creature to do anything against their will. If you do not wish to stay with the estate under Hogwarts, for the house elves, I can present you with clothes, if you so choose." Draco raised his hands in a gesture to calm the now vocally upset elves down, "You misunderstand me – I only make the offer as one of freedom, not one of punishment. That was not a threat. Please, please calm down."

The elves could not be calmed, until Zippy stood in Draco's defense, "Young master is not a cruel man. This is not a trick my friends, Zippy promises."

"Thank you Zippy, I appreciate your assistance," Draco then turned to the witches and wizards in the room. "A similar offer is open to you. If you are uninterested in becoming Hogwarts employees, I will offer you an ample severance so that you can move on and be comfortable while seeking other employment. I will send letters of reference as well, though I would hope that the reputation of our prize winning stables and gardens will be reference enough."

The noise in the ballroom had reached near riot levels, when the head of the stable rose, looking around the room, and walked up to Draco. He offered his hand in thanks, and for the first time in many years, looked his employer in the eye. "Sir, I think I can speak for all of us, elves and wizard alike, in that we are honored to have this offer presented to us." Heads nodded all around the room. "Thank you for the opportunity, and I promise you, we will do you proud." He sniffled and wiped at his eyes with a dirty rag he kept in his pocket, having released Draco's hand.

"I am confident that every single one of you will make me proud. There is a contract being drawn up between Hogwarts and myself, and I will let them know that with the exception of Zippy and Zinnia, you will be staying on. I can't tell you how pleased this makes me," grinning at the faces who were in various stages of delight, shock, and tears, "and assure you that nothing will officially change until my father passes. If you change your mind and wish to speak to me about it in private, don't hesitate to let me know. In the meantime, I look forward to working with all of you to make this estate a new and better part of the wizarding world. Now, please, feel free to get back to whatever task I have taken you away from." Draco stepped forward and gestured towards Zippy, "could I please talk to you and Zinnia for a moment?"

The two young elves came forward and stood before him, "Yes Master, what can Zinnia and Zippy do for you," the little female asked.

Draco crouched down to their eye level and tried to smile in a reassuring way. He thought to himself, _I haven't smiled this much in, well, ever. Too bad smirking doesn't convey the same message. _

"I just wanted to thank the two of you for staying with me. I hope that you will be happy in our new home, and look forward to working with you both in making it a pleasant place to live. I will change the wards on the penthouse for you both today, so that you can begin to familiarize yourselves with it and make yourselves comfortable while we prepare to move over permanently. There is a small room behind the staircase that I hope you will find suitable to live in, though other than a few boxes of books, the penthouse is currently empty." Draco stood and brushed off his slacks as the two elves stood before him in a state of shock. Never before had a Malfoy spoken to a house elf as if they were a creature worth respect, and they were both extremely relieved about the decision impulsive they had made.

"As an aside," Draco continued as the trio walked out of the ballroom, "I am hoping that it won't be just the three of us for very long. Tell me, how do the two of you get along with kneazles?"

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At three thirty, Ginny found herself sitting on her sofa, fretting. She had never really taken anyone "home to meet her parents." It seemed like Harry had always been around, from when she was small enough to look at him through the eyes of idol worship, through the evolution and then deterioration of their relationship. She knew that her mother would be willing to give Draco a chance, based solely on the fact that she didn't want to see Ginny live alone as a spinster the rest of her life. But her father, she was worried there. Worried that the life-long feud between her father and Lucius would get in the way. Their feud made this twice as hard, as she still struggled with the boy Draco had been at Hogwarts, so mean and petty, so quick to call names and tease. Smoothing down her skirt for the millionth time, Ginny kept chewing her bottom lip, obsessing that things were moving to fast, that there was too much history, too much baggage, for this to ever work out.

A flare of green flames in the fireplace shook her from her worries, as Draco stepped out of the floo with an annoyingly casual elegance. In his hands he had a wrapped present, a small brown bag, a bouquet of flowers, and a small green plant. Ginny quirked her eyebrow at him and said, "What is all this? Are you still cleaning out the manor?"

Brushing an imperceptible bit of soot off of his grey slacks, he straightened and stalked towards her, heat radiating off of him. "Hello and good afternoon to you as well," he leaned and kissed her on the top of her head, "how are you today?"

She rolled her eyes at him for ignoring her, "Considering we left each other a little over than twelve hours ago, I am fine. Now cut the small talk and what's in the bag?"

"Manners Ginevra, manners," he smirked at her, and presented her the flowers with a dramatic flourish. "These are for you. As Blaise would put it, I am officially wooing you, and with that you get gifts. The necklace yesterday was the tip of the iceberg."

She reached for the charm and a tiny tingle of warmth shimmered off of it, to go with his teasing. "Thank you for the flowers, let me put them in some water," blushing a bit at the old fashioned idea of being pursued with such obvious and deliberate intent.

"This," he continued, "is for your furry companions. A little friend mentioned to me today that kneazles have a fondness for this plant." Putting it down on the ground, both Shadow and Dash came over to sniff it, and purr as they nibbled on the greenery.

"Are you wooing my pets as well?" Ginny teased, amused that he would bring a present for them too. "And what about the other two packages?"

"The wrapped gift is for your mother, and the bag is for your father. My mother always said that pretty wrapping made a gift complete, but my father thought presents were too much of a production. I hope your parents feel similarly" he replied, with a bit of a challenge in his eye.

Staring back at him, Ginny could tell that he didn't want to be pressed, that his bravado was hiding more nerves than he wanted to let on, that this had been a source of worry for him too. She smiled at him, having put the beautiful flowers in a vase on the mantle, high enough that her pets wouldn't knock it over, and walked over to him again. She wrapped her arms around him and murmured, "Thank you for making so much of an effort Draco. I do appreciate it, and I'm sure my family will too. Shall we floo over?" Feeling him stiffen at the suggestion that they leave, she leaned up and kissed him briefly on the cheek. "I promise you that if it gets uncomfortable, we can leave. And Angelina and Charlie will be there, to vouch for you. We'll have fun, I promise." She leaned into him again, trying to convince both him and herself that the day would go smoothly.

"Let's get this over with, Ginerva," he smiled down into her hair. "Plus, if you keep hugging me I might not let you leave this flat anytime soon."

With a squeal and a swat to his arm, she stepped away and into the floo. Waiting for him to join her, she threw down the floo powder and called out, "The Burrow." As they began to zoom through the network, Draco thought to himself, _If you had told me ten years ago that I'd be willingly headed to the Weasleys, with the intention of making a good impression, and nervous about it, I'd have had you committed to St. Mungos._

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Ginny's tendency to fret came honestly, as Molly had spent the day fretting as well. She couldn't believe that a Malfoy would willingly come to the Burrow with no malicious intent. But if she were honest with herself, she couldn't believe a lot of her life. She couldn't believe that she and Arthur rattled around in their home by themselves, alone after all these years. She couldn't believe that Percy found love with Neville. She couldn't believe that George had lost his twin in the war. She couldn't believe that she had lost both Ron and Harry, through their own doing. She couldn't believe that the serious and studious Hermione had turned into the perfect mate for her prankster son, and couldn't believe that Ginny was in the beginning of what appeared to be a serious relationship, _with a Malfoy_.

Arthur came up to her in the kitchen, where she was wiping down the counter for the millionth time. "Love, stop," he pulled her into a hug, "you're going to rub a hole in it with worry. Today will be fine. And Ginny has promised that if it starts to go badly, he'll leave. Today will be fine," he repeated, as if trying to convince himself as well as his wife.

Green flames rose in the living room floo, and Charlie and Angelina exited, the first of the younger generation to arrive for the Sunday meal. As the twins rushed to hug their mother after spending the night away from her, Charlie noticed his mum wiping away a tear as she left Arthur's arms. "What's wrong mum? Is everything ok?"

"Oh luv, don't worry about me. I'm just worried about your sister. I don't want to see her get hurt again," Molly continued to fret, but pretended not to, waving the men away with her hands as she hugged John and Dora.

"Molly, I was worried too," Angelina chimed in, "but we saw them together last night. I think that they're good for each other. We had a nice time. Malfoy seems to have grown a lot, and he seemed more than civil."

Charlie agreed, "I didn't know him in school like Ange did, but if I hadn't heard the rumors about him from Ron, I don't think I'd be worried at all. Plus, you know that both George and I have spoken with him, and I think he might be torn which of us to be more afraid of, the mad scientist or the dragon tamer." He gave a roguish grin to his mum, as the floo lit up again with the familiar green flames.

"Hello? Mum, Dad, hello?" Ginny called out tentatively, pulling Draco out of the floo behind her hand in hand.

"Draco, how he heck are you?" Charlie walked into the living room, open arms waving expansively in greeting. "Long time no see!"

"Charlie, Angelina," Draco nodded to them each, shaking hands with them both while balancing his two packages. "It is good to see you both." Ginny smiled at how Draco's shoulders had relaxed upon the warm welcome from her brother.

"We're the only ones here so far. You know how George and his clan are, no matter how hard 'Mione tries, there is always a last minute emergency. But I expect Neville and Percy to arrive any second. Mum and dad are in the kitchen, shall we do the official introductions?" Charlie smiled at his little sister, noticing with love how his mother and sister wore identical expressions.

The two couples entered the kitchen, and Ginny found herself immediately engulfed in a hug from her mother. Taking a second to savor the comforting smell of her mother's natural perfume, a mix of yeast and sugar and tea. Leaning back while remaining in her arms, she grinned at the other female Weasley, and whispered a quiet "thank you mum" for the unspoken support. "Mum, I don't know that you've formally met Draco. Draco, this is my mother, Molly Weasley."

Draco stepped forward into the room, and when Molly offered him her hand, he raised it to his lips. "Mrs. Weasley, I see where Ginevra gets her beautiful smile. This is for you," as he presented her with the wrapped package.

Molly blushed at Draco's compliment, and took the package. Opening it, she gasped in delight when she discovered the complete collection of Celestina Warbeck's recordings. Flipping through, she noticed that more than one of the covers were autographed. In complete shock she looked up at her house-guest, "Draco, you shouldn't have! She is my absolute favorite singer! How did you even know?"

"Yes Draco, how did you know?" Ginny squinted at him curiously.

"A wizard never reveals his sources," Draco smiled and nodded thanks towards Charlie. "Mrs. Weasley, as Ginny may have told you, I'm in the process of moving out of the Malfoy estate. These recordings belonged to my mother. _You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me_ was her favorite song, and I just can't bring myself to sell this collection. It would make me feel much better to know that they are in the hands of a fellow fan."

"Well young man, it appears you have charmed not one, but two of the women in my family," Arthur stepped forward and extended a hand to the son of one of his greatest enemies.

"Mr. Weasley, it is a pleasure to meet you, in an official manner. And thank you for welcoming me into your home. I do appreciate it." Draco smiled, and continued to shake the hand of Ginny's father nervously. He knew that despite the approval of at least one of Ginny's brothers, it was this man who held his fate.

"It is good to have you here, young man," he too continued to shake Draco's hand, comically. "I would hope that any man interested in being part of Ginny's life would realize how important her entire family is to her."

"Dad, that's enough," Ginny stepped in to break the never-ending handshake. "Let's just relax and enjoy today together," she continued, rolling her eyes.

"Mr. Weasley, this is for you," Draco handed the plain brown bag to Arthur. "Several years ago I spent some time abroad, and the wizards I socialized with introduced me to the muggle card game of poker."

Arthur peered into the sack, and pulled out a deck of muggle playing cards and a package of poker chips. A broad grin spread across his face as he moved closer to Draco, his passion for all things muggle taking over his initial concern of having a Malfoy in his home. "And these coins are part of that game?" he inquired with curiosity.

"Yes, and to tell you the truth, since I've returned to London I have missed playing cards with fellow wizards, and I was hoping that perhaps after dinner that we could play a few rounds. Perhaps George and Charlie might join in as well. Ginevra mentioned that you all do something fun after the evening meal, and I thought this might be an interesting change."

"Yes, yes, absolutely, now tell me, what do the different colors of the coins signify?" Arthur pressed Draco, leading him into the living room, pestering him with a barrage of questions that the remaining family could then overhear in the kitchen. Charlie followed close behind, curious to learn the rules as well.

Ginny smiled in relief, and whispered to Angelina, "That went a lot better than I had hoped."

Angelina whispered back sharply, "What the heck are you talking about? Now we won't be able to play quidditch!"

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**A/N:** Thank you again! Next update the end of the week.

Up next: More antics at the Burrow..._  
_


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

This is super short, but I've written and re-written it three times. I think it's time to let it go and move on with the plot. Sorry for the length - I do listen when you mention that you like longer chapters (just not this time).

Thank you for the reviews, especially those of you who have made repeat comments. I'm writing for you guys now. :)

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After George and his family and Percy and Neville arrived, Draco noticed two things very quickly – that the Weasleys were a very informal, and a very tactile bunch of people. Cousins Colleen and Dora sat on the floor braiding each other's hair. Fred and John wrestled one another in the grass of the backyard, with occasional guest appearances by either of their fathers. All of the females shared a trial of the newest flavor of lip-gloss as invented by George, without concern of germs. Molly and Arthur showed genuine affection for one another, with pats and short caresses when they were near. Even the uptight Percy sat close to Neville, absentmindedly tapping his fingers on the latter's knee. They all spoke with concern over Bill and his wife Fleur, who apparently were expecting their third child at any moment. At first he was taken aback at how touchy feely they all were, but as he spent more time in their midst, he realized that it came from a deep seated affection that they all held for one another, including the three who had married in. His family had long held up the pretense of stereotypical upper class contentment, with all the trappings and obligations that came with the facade, but the reality was much different. Draco loved his mother, and she him, but there would be no mourning for his father. Affection was a rare commodity for the Malfoys, a family that wanted for little else.

Looking around at the various witches and wizards in the Burrow, it occurred to him how different they were from his family, how much more deeply they felt losses. He remembered that all of the children had been named for loved ones lost in the war – the female cousins representing Gryffindor housemate Colin Creevey and Draco's own cousin Nymphadora, while her twin had the subtler middle name of her beloved Lupin. And then the son of George, named after the sibling they all missed the most, the family member who was most tangibly absent – Fred. However, if Draco had not known that the Weasleys had another son and how deeply ingrained Potter had been in their family, he wouldn't know that anyone else was missing. While there was an almost physical hole where Fred should have been, it was as if Ron and Harry had never been there at all. As far as this family was concerned, two of the most famous wizards in the world might not even exist. It was clear that as far as the majority of the group was concerned, those were scars that had healed. The only person that he couldn't include in that however was Ginny. While here, in the safety of the house she grew up in, she seemed completely comfortable in her own skin, but he knew that as soon as they were alone there was a chance that she would freeze up, memories of her first love haunting her still. And he hated the savior of the wizarding world for it.

As the family enjoyed their dinner the bulk of the conversation revolved around Draco's gift of his family estate to Hogwarts. Each family member peppered him with questions, and he realized that while the questions did express a curiosity for his project, each and every member of the clan was actually interviewing him. Throughout the questioning, Ginny kept a hand on him, either patting his back or knee, subtly offering him both support and comfort. He marveled at how good it felt, and how much kindness her touch could convey. And he tried not to react too strongly or obviously to the physical contact, especially seated across from her parents and two very threatening brothers. Arthur started the inquisition, not pulling any punches, expressing concern over the number of dark objects located in the manor and the safety of future students, his grandchildren included. Percy queried about the legal aspects of his philanthropy, and if Theo's team had sought appropriate ministry approvals. Molly followed with the next concern, inquiring about his inspiration for the idea of a primary school, and his opinion of home schooling. Angelina jumped in next, curious if the creation of the school indicated his being in favor of witches working outside the home. George took the opportunity to do a little teasing, and caused Draco to choke on his drink when he asked if he specifically wanted a wife that would stay home and act as a society witch like his mother. Fortunately, before he could answer, Colleen and Dora piped up to find out if the new school would have uniforms, and then John and Fred wanted to know if there would be a school sponsored quidditch team. Finally finding himself on a more comfortable subject matter, he turned to Ginny and asked, "I hadn't thought about quidditch, though there is certainly enough space on the estate for a field. Perhaps your friend Wood could be called in to consult on that matter?"

While the majority of the Weasleys leapt to the topic of quidditch as a means to decrease the tension at the table, three remaining members of the family had questions for Draco. They continued their inquiries discretely and quietly, allowing the rest of the family to debate the upcoming quidditch season. Voices low, Charlie and Neville were curious about the stables and the gardens at the manor, and if there were any animals or plants that might be dangerous to the students.

"The only animals left on the grounds are my father's horses. I anticipate leaving them with the property, and that they will remain in the care of the stable keeper, under guidance of any magical creature instructor that the school may employ" Draco addressed Charlie. Turning to Neville he continued, "There is a special part of the garden that contains plants for potion ingredients. That is in a special walled off area, and charmed for safety after my wandering into it as a child. The gardeners who will remain are experts in dealing with all of the plants, exotic and otherwise." Looking to both men, he then made a suggestion, "Why don't the two of you come over to the manor one evening for drinks, and then I can provide you with a tour, and introduce you to the staff? I'd be happy to give you both as much information as you need to get you behind the project."

Having listened to all of Draco's responses carefully through the rest of the meal, Hermione asked the final question of the interrogation with narrowed eyes. "Staff you say? Does that include house elves? What are you doing with the rest of the staff that you are abandoning?"

Ginny patted him on the back a few more times as Draco carefully composed his thoughts, and then quietly began to speak. "Hermione, I know it is very easy for you to think the worst of me. However, I am not abandoning anyone. I know all too well what it feels like to be forced into a life, one where you feel like you have no options. I know what it is to be abandoned. And I would not do that to anyone. I met with the staff at the manor, and made each and every creature the offer to either come with me, to stay and be in the employ of the school, or freedom through clothes for the elves or a severance for the humans. Two of the elves are coming with me, through their own volition, and every other staff member has conveyed excitement at working for Hogwarts. I hope that meets with your approval."

As he spoke, Ginny could feel the charm around her neck grow warm with frustration, so she stood up as a distraction, while Hermione simply nodded in response. "Mum, as usual, everything was delicious. Weren't you and Neville going to have the kids de-gnome the garden? Why don't you let 'Mione and Ange and me clean up while Draco teaches everyone else his muggle card game?"

Draco rose as well, "Yes, Mrs. Weasley, you are an excellent cook. Gentlemen, shall we? Mr. Weasley, is there a space we can all sit at a table together?"

Appreciating his daughter's ability to play peacemaker, Arthur rubbed his hands together in excitement over the new muggle game, "Yes, yes, there is a table that will fit all of us in my shed. Charlie, George, Percy, will you join us?"

The wizards made their way to the shed, with the exception of Percy who chose to help Neville and Molly in the garden with the children. As the kitchen cleared, Ginny took a deep breath and sank back down into her seat. Angelina stepped over to her and wrapped her arms around her from behind. "That didn't go badly, did it? Everyone is alive and wands weren't drawn."

Hermione smiled weakly at her sisters in law and said, "The night is young. And I think none of us should forget how competitive all of the wizards in that tiny shed are. Perhaps we should have taken their wands," she mused. Shaking that thought away, she continued, "I'm sorry about that bit at the end there Gin. Old habits die hard, but I admit that I respect his answer."

"I know it seems hard to believe, but he appears to be a completely different wizard from the boy we knew in school. I think he had a more horrible childhood than any of us can ever realize. I can't imagine what it must have been like to grow up in a home where your father was Voldemort's right hand man." Ginny shuddered at the thought.

Angelina turned to Ginny, "Charlie is going to keep the twins on Tuesday, so I will be able to accept the invitation Draco extended. 'Mione, will you be joining us?"

"Tuesday is our yoga night, Gin, what's Ange talking about?" Hermione asked.

Ginny explained Draco's request of their help, along with Luna and Pansy, to clear out Narcissa's wardrobe, "It will only be one week for us to miss, and we don't often get to spend time with just the girls, all of us. Wasn't the original point of yoga to get you out of the house once a week? Draco has promised to leave us alone, just the girls."

Hermione pursed her lips briefly, "Pansy? I haven't seen her in years, are you serious?"

Ginny swatted at her friend, "Hermione! You of all people – don't you think it's time to let go of the stereotypes we believed at school? Luna says that Pansy is very nice now. She's happily married and Luna said she's impressed at what a good mother she is."

"Ok then, yes, I'll join you. If for no other reason than I want to scope out the situation and make sure that all of the stories he told tonight are true" she replied.

Ginny rolled her eyes, as did Angelina, surprisingly. At the same time a roar of laughter rose out of the shed, and Ginny smiled, glad to hear that the male members of her family were all in such a good mood. The night progressed without further incident, and Draco was surprised at what a good time he had with her family. It seemed that as they once embraced Potter, they were willing to adopt other "orphans" – Longbottom and himself (once he passed the inquisition) included.

As the evening winded down, Draco pulled Angelina aside and handed her a coin, "This is a portkey for Tuesday. It will activate between six thirty and seven, whenever you are ready to leave. It will take you directly to my mother's suite. Thank you for agreeing to help me out." As Charlie's family said their goodbyes, Angelina thanked Draco for being so thoughtful and assured him that she would be there on Tuesday.

Neville and Percy were the next to leave, and Neville promised Draco that he would be in touch that week for the garden tour. George's family was next, with George slapping Draco on the back, thanking him for the good game. Hermione gave Ginny a big hug, and assured her that she'd see her on Tuesday as well, but remained a bit uncomfortable with Draco.

As they prepared to say goodbye to her parents, Ginny felt a warmth and happiness that she hadn't felt in years. A part of her felt complete, emptiness filled, as she fingered the charm around her neck. Ginny turned to Draco and said, "Are you heading back to the manor from here? Or to the penthouse?" Arthur kept an eye and an ear on the couple, listening for Draco's response.

"I will be going to the manor tonight, but I'd like to be sure that you get home safely. Why don't we floo together from here, and then I can apparate from the building?" he replied. Arthur smiled to himself, noting Draco's chivalry.

Molly enveloped Draco in a huge hug, thanking him again for the recordings, and making sure that he knew that he was welcome back the next Sunday. As he shook Arthur's hand goodbye, the elder wizard also thanked him for the muggle game, and insisted that he come back soon for another game.

"Thank you both for your hospitality. I would love to come, as long as Ginerva approves," he smiled down at Ginny, who marveled at the slick Slytherin who had won over almost everyone in a single evening.

After they flooed away, Arthur turned to Molly and gave her a hug. "They seem good together." Molly nodded. "She seems happy, happier than she's been in a long time." Molly nodded again, resting her head on his shoulder. "I never thought I'd see the day that I'd welcome a Malfoy into our family, but I think he's good for her." Molly nodded again and Arthur listened as she sighed with relief, the strain of the night draining from her. He teased her, hoping to lighten her mood, "So have you started planning the wedding yet?"

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A/N: Thank you guys for your patience! Now that I've got this off my hands, we can all move on!

Up next: The girls in the manor


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

Hope you enjoy! Thanks for the patience, and the reviews and alerts/favorites. You're all great! :)

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Tuesday evening at six thirty, Angelina activated the portkey Draco had given her and arrived in one of the most beautiful suites she had ever seen, even in fancy magazines. Soon after, Luna and Pansy flooed into the room, having just seen each other the evening before at dinner with Blaise, Theo and their girls. As Luna airily re-introduced Pansy to Angelina, Hermione stumbled through the floo as well. The four witches sat down and started to chat about the surprising number of things they had in common, the stubborn men in their lives, children who were excited to learn to fly, and how significantly their lives had changed since the war. Draco stopped in briefly, to introduce the witches to Zinnia, who he said would be at their service for the evening. Looking at his watch, at quarter til seven, he expressed concern about Ginny. "It's normally not like Ginny to be late," Hermione commented, still not completely comfortable in the manor, "I can floo over to her flat and make sure she's ok."

Draco waved her off, "No, you stay and enjoy yourselves. Zippy was about to bring you up some snacks and drinks. I'll go over and see what is keeping her."

After flooing over to Ginny's flat, Draco called out to her as he brushed the soot off of his slacks. "Ginevra," drawling out her name with affection, "you're late…" He stopped in his tracks as she came out of the bathroom adjacent to her bedroom, rubbing a towel over her hair, wearing just a pair of sheer white lace panties and a matching bra.

Hearing his voice as she walked past the doorway of her room, finding him staring in at her from the living room, she shrieked, "What are you doing here!" She tried to cover herself in a panic, pulling the towel off of her head and draping it across her front.

Gaping at her, his eyes were drawn to the freckles that dotted her pale cream skin, so fair that it was almost as if the lace covering her blended across the flesh. It was if she was sprinkled with cinnamon, on top of a vanilla crème.

Tired of his speechless staring, she demanded again, "What the bloody hell are you doing here, Draco?"

Closing his eyes and swallowing deeply, he reiterated, "You are late. The others are waiting for you at the manor, and worried about you. I came over to see if you were ok, so that the others could continue to enjoy themselves."

"I am not late!" Ginny declared, "I have fifteen more minutes until I am late!" She shook her head at Draco, and then again at her friends, who all seemed to have lost their minds at once. She began to walk towards her closet so that she could get dressed, her voice starting to sound farther away as she moved.

Thinking that it was safe, Draco opened his eyes only to notice her retreating figure. _A thong_, he groaned to himself, _of course she's wearing a bloody thong._ "Perhaps, but as you are the hub to the circle of witches now waiting for you at the manor, it would be nice if you could come now," he called into the room, as she had entered her closet.

"Let me finish getting ready, it will only take a second," she called out, and true to her word, she walked towards him a few seconds later in a plain white tee, a snug pair of jeans, and damp hair that curled around her head. Still flushed from an obviously hot shower, she didn't wear makeup, just the pink across her cheeks and lips from the steam.

He stared at her again, and muttered, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" she queried, as she rose on her tiptoes to give him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Look so stunningly beautiful with so little effort," he murmured into her hair; hugging her close "most witches would give their right arm to look the way you do fresh from the shower, in just jeans and a jersey. I can not wait to see what you look like in some of mother's gowns."

She pulled away from him with a twinkle in her eye, tugging his hand towards the fireplace, "I thought this was a girls' night? How do you expect to see me in your mother's gowns?"

He tugged back, trying to pull her back into his arms, with an equal amount of teasing in his tone, "I was hoping that a private fashion show might be in the offing? Perhaps finishing where you left off a few moments ago?"

"You're incorrigible!" she playfully swatted at him, "and I thought I was late! Now let's get going before Hermione sends out a search party."

Groaning at the thought that Hermione might send her husband out looking for him, Draco pulled Ginny towards the floo, "I don't think any of us want that to happen." He pulled her close to him, so that they could floo together, reveling in how she felt pressed against him. Unable to resist teasing her a little more, he continued, "Let's get you to your girls' night and we'll talk about a private little show later."

XXXXX

Once Draco and Ginny returned to the manor, Draco outlined to his guests how the evening would proceed. "Zinna will bring out different racks of clothing for you to go through. Please feel free to try on anything that appeals to you, and to do any charms to modify the sizing that you might be necessary. Zippy has placed garment bags out for each of you; please do not hesitate to fill them. I would feel much better knowing that mother's clothing will be in the hands of witches who will wear them in good faith, and not simply collect them as part of the Malfoy legacy. You'll find the snacks and drinks that Zippy brought up earlier laid out over there," he gestured to an elaborate table across the sitting room. "I had the elves make your favorite Ginevra," he pointed out the spiced bread pudding, "and yours Pansy" pointing to the dark chocolate dipped shortbread, "but I didn't know what suited the rest of you, so there is a wide selection. Now if you will excuse me, I'll leave you in Zinna's capable hands. If you need me, she'll know where to find me." Nodding at the little coven seated before him, he then turned on his heel and retreated to the safety of his own suite.

After Draco left, Zinnia clapped her little hands together and squealed. "Zinnia is so excited! Zinnia has been looking forward to having witches back in the manor since young master promised you all would be visiting." The little elf gestured towards a pile of pale silk robes, "Young Master did not think of this, but Zinnia knows that trying on a lot of clothes is easier when you have a robe to wear in between choices. Please chose one, and it will turn into your favorite color when you wear it the first time." She smiled to herself, proud of one of her best charms, and pleased to have the opportunity to show it off. "Now, let's get started" and she levitated out the first rack of beautiful gowns, dresses and robes.

All of the witches oohhed and aahhed at the beauty of the clothes set in front of them on the first rack alone, marveling at the expense that Narcissa had spent on just one outfit, let alone the entire closet they had been asked to go through that evening. Many of the gowns they were shown were far more expensive, even for Pansy, to even have ever been imagined. Suddenly shy, looking at the gowns in front of them, it appeared that no one wanted to appear too excited, too anxious, too greedy, though among close friends. Pansy, the newcomer to the group, summoned her courage and stood first, reaching for a beautiful burgundy gown, with gold stitching around the edges. She fingered it briefly as the other witches watched her, and were surprised when she turned and said, "I have an eye for these things, and have always loved fashion. Narcissa had an amazing eye and a budget to match. I hope none of you will take offense if I make recommendations?"

"Nonsense, Pansy, I am sure that we would all love it if you took the lead. You've known this family the longest, and I think it would make us all a little more comfortable," Luna replied, which again surprised the other witches. The three Weasley witches did not realize how close Pansy and Luna had become, and were a little shocked that her normal airy tone had dropped a bit.

Pansy grinned as she again touched the burgundy gown, "Fantastic! I think that this," she lifted the gown off of the rack, "will look absolutely stunning on you," handing it to Angelina. "And this one," lifting a pale lavender with silver crystals encrusting the bodice, "will turn you into a knockout," handing it to Luna. Flipping through several gowns on the rack, she dismissed them, "too old, unlikely to come back in style, a horrid color on even Narcissa, Zinnia, pack these ones up please." She smiled down at the little elf, who had rushed to her side to help. "A ha! This one will look smashing on you Hermione," handing her an aquamarine silk ball gown with an embroidered pattern around the snug bodice.

"Are you sure, Pansy? It might look better on Ginny, it's more her color…" Hermione mumbled, still not comfortable in the midst of a former bully's home, being told what to wear by another former adversary.

"Nonsense, Granger, you've got great skin and fantastic curly hair. I think you've always dressed a little dowdy, and it's time to show the world otherwise," she put her hand on her hip and smiled warmly, challenging Hermione to accept the overture of friendship. "Don't you worry though, I'll find something to make Draco's jaw drop when he sees Ginny." Smiling again, she tossed a slinky navy strapless gown aside for herself, and discovering a deep emerald green gown, a Slytherin green, with a gold ribbon around the waist, an empire cut with a slit that left little to the imagination. "This, now this, I suspect Lucius bought for Narcissa just based on the color alone, not realizing it isn't her style at all." She touched the tags that still hung from it, "just as I thought, it's never been worn. However, you are going to render Draco speechless in this," and she handed it to Ginny. "Do we all have something to try on? Good, let's get started."

The initial wariness gone as they all changed into the first of the beautiful gowns, one at a time they squealed and giggled at how they were all transformed. The ice had been broken, and it was like Pansy had always been a good girlfriend, fitting right in as they worked through rack after rack. Zinnia packed away the gowns and shoes that didn't suit any of them, and their garment bags filled swiftly. They all nibbled at the desserts that had been provided, joking that none of the clothing would fit them when they got home, due to the rich treats and drinks.

At one point, Hermione asked Zinnia to point her to a bathroom, and she made her way down the hall quietly. She walked past an open door, and paused as she heard Draco inside, talking to Zippy. "I think I have packed everything here that we'll need to take over to the new penthouse. Have you and Zinnia had a chance to visit yet? Is there anything else that either of you will need once we move for good?"

Zippy shook his head vehemently, "No young master, Zippy and Zinnia both think our new room will be perfect. It is the largest room either of us have ever had, and to not share it with other elves, master you are being too generous."

"Don't be silly Zippy, I'll expect the two of you to run the household for me, especially since I'll be traveling quite a bit. I am hoping to show Ginevra the world, if we continue on the path we're on." He smiled to himself, thinking about all of the places he wanted to share with her.

Hermione felt bad for eavesdropping, so she coughed a little to alert Draco to her presence. Surprised, he rose quickly and crossed the room to face her. "Is everything alright? There's nothing you need, nothing wrong with Ginevra?"

She waved her hands at him, whispering, "No no, nothing is wrong. I was just making my way down the hall," gesturing to the bathroom, "and I overheard you." She shifted a bit uncomfortably, but continued, "I know you've talked to both Charlie and George, but I felt like I should talk to you too."

Draco waved her into his private suite, offering her a chair, but she declined. She continued on, "No, I don't think this will take long. I don't have any threats for you either, I have faith in my husband and his brothers to put the fear of the Weasleys into you if you hurt Ginny."

Draco took a step back from Hermione, and ran his fingers through his hair, agitated. "Listen, I know that I was a horrible person to you when we were in school. And I was pretty horrible to all of you who latched onto Potter. I can never ask you to forgive me for that. But I simply ask that you take into account my upbringing. I was not as strong as you, or Ginevra. You are both survivors, having first fought in the war, and then fighting through what Weasley and Potter did to you both." Hermione sucked in her breath sharply, and Draco continued, "Yes, I know what happened, and I assure you, I don't care. I don't want an heir. I care for her very deeply, and at this point, can't imagine that there is anything that would prevent me from continuing to do so. In fact, as I told your husband, in light of the fact that I desire what other wizards might consider a fault, I believe we are perfect for one another."

Hermione sank into the seat she had previously rejected, and rested her head in her hands. "Draco, I didn't realize that you knew, I didn't know what George had told you. I accept your apology. But please forgive me, in my age, I find that I don't react to change as well as I once did. It takes me time to trust, and time for Ginny to trust as well. We've both been horribly betrayed. It will take me some time to become comfortable with you in our lives, but knowing now that you don't care, that changes things. It will take me some time," she repeated, "but you make her happy. And she deserves the same kind of happiness I've found with George." She lowered her voice a bit, as she rose from the chair, "I won't threaten you about not hurting her though. I know my in-laws and suspect that you've already heard that more than once."

"Thank you for stopping Hermione. I can tell that you're not comfortable here, but thank you for being so open minded. You're a good friend to Ginevra, probably her closest. Now, why don't you let me get back to work, before the others miss you?"

Hermione laughed as she made her way down the hall, "Miss me? Not the way Pansy is ordering us all around, I bet everyone is too busy to even notice I'm gone!"

XXXXX

When Hermione returned to the suite, she paused a bit in the doorway and watched the other four witches. She smiled as she realized how easily Pansy fit in with their group, and thought that maybe she could use some female friends too. The whole point of their Tuesday yoga classes was to provide a night out, and cement a support network of other witches to lean on. Even though the war had long passed, it was surprising what day to day struggles popped up, and how much more easily they were dealt with knowing that there were others that could help. A large pile of dresses and gowns awaited her, proving that while Pansy did notice she had been gone for a bit, that the sorting of the clothes had not passed her by. "Pansy," Hermione asked, "do you live close enough to Diagon Alley that it is a short trip for you?"

"I do," she answered, while absentmindedly continuing to sort through the next rack of gowns, "why do you ask?"

"Well," Hermione hesitated, unable to believe what she was about to do. "Luna and Ginny and I take a yoga class each week. Yoga is a kind of muggle exercise. It's relaxing, and for stress relief, but more than that, it's a nice night on the town with just the girls. We skipped tonight to come here, but perhaps you could join us next week? We usually stop for drinks after class."

"You should do it Pansy," Angelina encouraged. "The only reason I don't do it is that Hogsmeade is too far for me to make the trip for just a few hours."

Pansy flopped down on the nearest chaise, and grinned broadly at all of the witches in front of her. "I would love to join you. I can't tell you how happy that would make me. I've never had girlfriends, not in school. That's part of why I was so mean. But now that Luna is with Blaise, and Ginny with Draco, it's just made me so happy to have other witches to talk to. Luna, can I floo over to your flat next week and come along with you?"

"That would be perfect," Luna smiled around the room at her friends. "This has been a good night, hasn't it?"

They all agreed, pleased to be having so much fun together, and to have almost finished the task that Draco had laid out for them. Much of the clothing would be sent away to the auction, but each witch would leave that evening with a substantial addition to her wardrobe. More importantly however, they would all be leaving with new friendships in place.

XXXXX

Close to an hour later, Pansy knocked on Draco's door. He smiled at his old friend and rose again from where he had been packing with Zippy. "Are you done already? I can't thank you enough for your help tonight. I hear you took charge, I'd have expected nothing less from you."

"Draco, that's not important. You need to come with me. Something has happened," she moved to urge him along, but he brushed past her, concern for Ginny paramount.

As he pushed open the door to his mother's suite, he found Ginny sobbing in Luna's arms. He looked bewilderedly at them, and then again to Pansy. Pansy walked over to the two witches, and eased Ginny into her embrace, so that Luna could explain to Draco what had happened. "Do you know Fleur? The vreela married to Bill?"

Draco nodded frantically, unable to take his eyes off of Ginny, "Yes, yes, they live in France. What does this have to do with Ginny?"

"You know she's expecting right now? She went into labor tonight, and it's not going well. Molly left to go to France to be with Bill, and Hermione went with her to take care of their daughters. Angelina left as well, to take Hermione's twins home with her. I think the arrival of another Weasley child has upset Ginny, given what happened with Harry. She's probably also worried about Fleur, but remembering the pain she went through. I don't want to put words into her mouth, but as soon as they left, she burst into tears. I think you should talk to her," Luna finished.

Draco was surprised to hear such a cogent summary come from Luna, and pondered perhaps that she was a better match for his friend Blaise than he had originally realized. That was a fleeting thought however, as his first concern was Ginny. He whispered to Luna, "I'll take care of things. I promise. Can you and Pansy make sure that all of the garment bags make it to the right witch, and I'll stay here to take care of Ginevra?"

Luna and Pansy both nodded, and Pansy released the sobbing Ginny into Draco's arms. She clutched him tightly, as the tears wracked her small form. He rubbed her back, and nodded a farewell as the other two witches flooed from the suite.

"Ginny," he whispered, making rare use of her nickname, "can you tell me what has you so upset?" She continued to sob against him, so he remained patient, continuing to rub one hand across her back and the other through her hair.

Slowly her cries slowed to a hiccup and she was able to look up at him, sniffling. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let it get to me like that. I shouldn't have ruined the evening, and cried like that. I'm sorry."

"Ginevra, look at me. What happened to you that you have such a poor opinion of yourself? Don't answer that," he pulled her close again, "what I want to know now is what happened tonight?"

"I don't want to tell you. If I tell you, you won't want to be with me anymore, and I couldn't stand that. I've let myself get closer to you than anyone else since Harry left me, and now you'll leave me like the rest," she sniffled again, and tried to pull away from him, his touch, while comforting, was just a reminder to her of what she would miss.

"Ginevra, look at me" he said again, "how can I make it clear to you? I am here. You are stuck with me. And no matter what you have to tell me, I won't leave you. I promise you that."

She started to cry again, "But every wizard wants an heir. And I can't give you that. I'd give you anything, Draco, but I can't give you that. Harry took that from me. And I can't get it back," she wailed.

Draco realized she was still in mourning for what could never be, first for what Potter had taken from her, but also because of the fear of rejection she carried close to her heart. He held her by the shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Listen to me. I DO NOT CARE. Do you hear me?" He shook her a little bit, to force her to maintain the eye contact. "I DO NOT CARE. I know what that bastard did to you. I know what he took from you, and I DO NOT CARE. I don't want an heir, but even if I did, I want you more. I DO NOT CARE."

"But I'm broken," she blubbered, the tears rolling down her face. "You're a Malfoy, you can have everything and anything, and I can't give you the one thing that a wizard wants the most."

"Ginevra, how do I convince you? I DO NOT CARE." Frustrated that his words weren't getting through to her, he picked her up and carried her in his arms to his suite. Stunned by his dramatic action, she stopped crying and surveyed her new surroundings. He took long strides over to his bed, and tossed her down. She bounced a bit, as the mattress was extremely plush and luxurious, and then she looked up at him with wide eyes. He had climbed up on the bed after her, and moved towards her in the same way a large cat stalked prey. She sunk into the depth of the down comforter, as he crawled on top of her, and bent down, lightly licking her lips with his tongue. "Since my words can't convince you, I guess I'll just have to show you," he drawled, nipping down her jaw with tiny bites, followed by caresses with his tongue. "And tonight I'm going to show you what it is like to have fantastic sex, sex where you don't have to worry about anything but how you feel, sex without the dulling of contraceptive charms. And I promise you Ginevra," he paused, having punctuated his words with kisses, while his hands worked the knot free that kept her purple silk robe tied. "I promise you, tonight is a night neither of us will ever forget."

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**A/N:** Thank you again for your patience and your reviews/favorites/alerts.

Up next: Maybe some smut? And some advice on love from an interesting source.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

Sorry about the slight delay - turns out it's harder to write smut than it is to read it. (I kid, I kid... seriously, remember this is my first attempt at writing fanfic, so this is all a learning experience for me.) Thank you again for the reviews and comments, they bring such a huge smile to my face!

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Having freed the knot that kept Ginny's purple silk robe closed, Draco stopped kissing her along the line of her jaw and raised himself up to admire the body beneath him. Wearing the lace bra and panties he had so admired earlier in the evening, her eyes rimmed red with tears, and hair fanned out around her in a halo of messy curls, she was a stunning vision. Her crying had caused red hives to rise across her neck and chest, but he could now tell that her deep breathing was due to his ministrations, not her upset. Smiling with a bit of a predatory grin, he reached down and grasped the dragon charm that had nestled in her cleavage, and she opened her eyes, noting the absence of the metallic heat. Seeing the lust reflected back from her dark eyes, his grin grew larger and he dove down to devour her lips.

His hands roamed over her entire body, almost as if tracing the freckles scattered across her skin. Each time he came closer and closer to the edges of the lace, but moved away, teasing and smoothing across the silk of her skin. Frustrated with his teasing, she whispered a warning, "Draco…" and he smiled again before savoring the contrast between the silk and lace. Tugging down the straps of her bra, he lowered his head and began to nip and lick, languidly, down her collarbone to the peaks of her breasts. As they rose and fell with her deep breathing, he trailed his tongue around and around, finally settling on the raised pink tips, closing his mouth on one and then the other, tugging slightly and then apologizing with his tongue.

It felt as if his mouth was everywhere at once, and Ginny was so distracted by the sensations that she barely noticed when he started to ease down the lace thong, his slightly calloused thumbs causing ticklish tremors across the curve at the bottom of her stomach. She gasped and reached for him, opening her eyes again, realizing that he was still completely clothed. Tugging at his shirt, he pushed her away, "No Ginevra, tonight is about you." She groaned first in frustration, and then in pleasure, as his mouth left her breasts and trailed lower, while he forced her legs wider so that he could settle in.

She tried to sit up and protest, "Draco, no, please, come back up here," and he paused, breath tickling the red curls as she continued, "I've, um, never, um, please no?" Her protest weakened into a questioning plea as she watched his eyes darken further with desire.

"Are you telling me that you have never had a wizard taste you? Ginevra," he leaned in and blew a warm hot breath, "are you saying that no one has ever given you pleasure like this before?" He moved closer, so that the movement of his lips tickled and she gasped at how good he was already making her feel.

"No, Harry thought it was undignified, and we never…" she stammered, but he interrupted her with the first touch of his tongue, taking one long, leisurely lick, stopping only briefly to flick her clit as he raised his head to look up at her again.

"Stop. I don't want to ever hear his name again in our bedroom. Obviously he was a fool. You, my redheaded goddess," he paused and delivered a second lick and flick, "don't realize that you are walking sex. It's time you learned that, and forgot about that fool all together." He licked and flicked a third time, causing her to shudder with anticipation. He took his time, savoring both how she tasted and her reactions, giving every effort to show her the most pleasure she'd ever felt at the hands of a wizard. As she grew closer and closer to the peak of pleasure, her moans grew louder and louder, and she could feel the smirk on his lips.

She cried out, first his name, "Draco!" and then with a shout, "Depulso!" banishing his clothes across the room. Reaching down, she pulled him up to her and demanded, "I want you, inside me, NOW."

He leaned close to her lips and murmured against them, "Wandless magic, Ginevra? And such dirty talk," he made a tisk-tisk sound as he tickled her lips with his tongue, "I've got a wand for you my love, and you'd better be ready for it."

She giggled at him, the feeble joke distracting her as he slid into her core, and they both paused, realizing that this was a major turning point in their relationship. That as they stared into each others eyes, there was no turning back now, and that they were definitely more than just friends now. As she grew accustomed to his size, and to the intimacy, she started to move beneath him, and it was his turn to moan, relishing her heat, her warmth, her softness. As they moved together the passion between them created little sparks, magic and heat flowing between them, increasing, mouths fighting for dominance, hands tangled together. As they increased their speed, suddenly her walls clenched and spasms pulsed against him, forcing him to join her in the plummet off of the peak, groaning as he released into her. He collapsed on top of her, smiling into her neck. "That, Ginevra, was fantastic. I hope that's proof to you that we belong together. Merlin, I can't imagine anything feeling that good with anyone else."

She would have groaned at how cocky he sounded if he weren't speaking the truth. Instead, she curled to her side, spooning in front of him, pulling her forgotten silk robe over them. "Thank you Draco," she whispered.

"Thank me? What for? I should be thanking you, my love," he smiled again, fully satisfied, confident and sated.

"I've um, well, that was the first time, well…" she whispered, and he noticed the flush rising to her cheeks was from embarrassment instead of passion. "I mean, I enjoyed it… um, that was the first time a wizard has ever made me, well," she paused again and them blurted, "it'sthefirstorgasmthatIhaven'tgivenmyself."

He pulled her tightly against him, holding her, listening as their hearts beat in tandem and their breaths slowed. _That bastard_, he thought, _of course it would always be about him_. "I promise you, that was the first of many," he kissed the top of her head as she shifted, curling back into him further. "There are two of us in this relationship, and I believe that turnabout is fair play. Now," he yawned, as he pulled the comforter over them both, "let's go to sleep."

XXXXX

The next morning, Zippy came into the suite with a breakfast tray. The aromas caused both Draco and Ginny to stir, and she moaned, realizing that it was a Wednesday and that she would need to go to work, and leave the comfort of the massive bed she shared with her lover. Rolling over and looking at the clock, she wagered that if she hurried, she could floo home, shower and change, and still make it to work on time.

"Thank you Zippy," she murmured as she attempted to leave the bed with some grace. It was difficult as it was a high bed, she was still naked, and someone refused to let go of her. She continued, "but I don't have time. I'll have to hurry as it is."

Draco groaned at the loss of heat from her body when she succeeded in leaving the bed, and he squinted into the light, blindly patting against the bed as if to locate her. "Don't go, come back to bed," he whined, not a morning person.

"I don't have time Draco, some of us have to work for a living," she chirped in a sing-song, annoyingly perky despite having just awoken.

"If you stay with me, you can get fired. Then you can embark on your new career as a kept woman," he sniped grumpily, "now come back to bed." Having her near, he had slept more soundly than he had in years, and he was in no mood to lose her comfort for something as menial as a job.

Tossing her hair and laughing as she strode over to the floo, wrapping herself in the robe from the night before, "Draco, what would Theo think if he heard you talk that way?" She tossed floo powder down and began to shout for her flat, as she heard his reply.

"How do you think Theo got Pansy?" he bellowed and then threw himself back into the pillows.

XXXXX

Much later in the day, Draco strolled through the gardens with Neville, having come from a meeting with the manor gardening staff. "Thank you for taking the time to show the gardens to me, Draco," Neville commented as he continued to gaze in wonder at the beauty that surrounded him, "and for letting me meet with your gardeners. I do feel much better about the Hogwarts project now, and am excited to see these gardens full of young witches and wizards."

The men wandered a bit in silence, neither truly comfortable with one another, but acknowledging that ten years can be a long time, and change people in a lot of ways. They looked up as they heard a sharp whistle, and saw a redhead waving to them both from the patio. "I'm sorry, am I keeping you from meeting Ginny?" Neville asked, looking at his watch and noticing that the workday had passed.

"No, please don't be chased off. I believe she's early to prove a point. I sent her an owl at work today to invite her to dinner between six and seven, and given that it is just now six, she's trying to teach me a lesson," he waved to her and they continued their leisurely pace.

Noticing the smile that spread across Draco's face at Ginny's appearance, Neville commented, "You care very deeply for her, don't you?"

Abashed, Draco glanced down at the ground, and plucked a flower that was starting to bloom in full. "I do, though I admit I had my reservations. Who would think, a Malfoy and a Weasley?"

Neville laughed, "I suspect the same people who would say 'who would think' about me and Percy," he smiled contentedly, thinking of his partner. "You know there are many in the wizarding world who think that us being together is wrong, but I figure, after what our world went through fighting Voldemort, we have to find happiness where we can."

"Why would someone think you being together is wrong?" Draco pondered, silently tallying their blood status, old habits dying hard, but coming to a different conclusion the same time Neville spoke.

"Two wizards together are two less wizards out there creating children. We're in the same boat as Ginny, only we're being _selfish_, according to the gossips." Neville shrugged, "Don't get me wrong, I like children," he paused, "but I like them more when they go home. Being a teacher is a far cry from being a parent."

Draco was deep in thought, considering Longbottom's words. If a shining star of Dumbledore's Army can face the scrutiny of society, and with an image conscious maniac like Percy at that, he felt confident that he could convince Ginny to do the same.

"I have to admit," Draco started, "I was surprised to find that the two of you were together." He looked up to the patio as he continued, "After all, you were one of Ginevra's first dates."

Neville laughed loudly, "The Yule Ball you mean?" He grinned, "She has always been a good friend to me. I think even then she suspected what I had only started to realize myself. We were in the dining hall one morning at breakfast and she noticed that we were both staring at the same person."

"Potter?" he asked, with a bit of a tease, "she wouldn't be staring at her own brother, though I can't fault you for showing a preference for redheads from the very beginning."

Again, Neville laughed and Draco noticed how comfortable he seemed, at home in his own skin after all these years. "Harry? Oh no, I've never been partial to brunettes. Back then it was a Hufflepuff, I doubt you'd remember him. Hank Abbott?"

Snorting, "The legal wizard at Ginevra's firm? Are you saying you are more his type? I had been led to believe that he was an admirer of Ginevra's."

"He may be," Neville paused deep in thought, "But I have my suspicions that the only wizard deeper in the closet is indeed Ron."

"Surely you're pulling my leg. He exiled himself because of all the cheating he did on Granger," Draco said incredulously, though filing away the tidbit about Ginny's work buddy for future reference.

Neville shrugged, "Let's just say that Percy and I have a theory that his time at an all wizard school isn't the punishment it has been made out to be."

"All that aside, he left his family behind. That cannot be easy given how close they all are. For you or me, the idea of family is different, but with them…" Draco shook his head despondently.

"I will say this, that if I have learned anything in my time with Percy, it's that the Weasleys are good people. They're easy to love, and love deeply in return, all of them. They're the family I never had, other than my Gran. And I promise you, if your feelings for Ginny are true, they'll adopt you in the same way they've adopted in the rest of our little band of misfits," he gave his lopsided grin, thinking of his in-laws.

"You're the first one to not out and out threaten me, other than Granger. Who just sort of hinted that she'd leave me in her husband's capable hands," Draco shuddered, thinking of what George might do to him. "I appreciate that."

"Oh no, I won't threaten you. I think given our past, we both know better than that," Neville paused again, letting their childhood feuds and taunts linger a bit between them. "But given that it was Harry who broke her heart, why not take a chance with you? And for yourself, why not break a few more rules, and follow your heart for once?"

"And you're so sure she's willing to take that chance with me?" Draco almost whispered, showing a very brief chink in his armor.

"She's here now, isn't she?" Neville grinned again. They had finally made their way to the patio, where Ginny sat waiting, holding a tumbler of firewhisky and swinging her legs in a peaceful rhythm.

She rose when she saw who Draco was with, smiling warmly and hugging him tightly. "I didn't realize that was you, Neville, it's so good to see you."

He hugged her back, and looked at his watch, "Draco was kind enough to give me a tour of the gardens. They're absolutely beautiful. But I shouldn't keep you two from your dinner, and I need to get home to Percy. You know how he gets if dinner is late." He shook Draco's hand and asked, "Is it safe for me to apparate from here?"

Draco nodded, shaking the offered hand in return, "Yes, and thank you again for coming. And for the advice."

"I hope you'll take my words to heart," Neville smiled at the couple now standing before him, who had subtly clasped hands, as he apparated away.

"So the gardens are beautiful?" she looked up at him, smiling with happiness. "Will you show them to me too?"

"Absolutely," as he kissed her on top of the head, wrapping her into his arms. "But you're already the most beautiful thing here," he smiled as he offered her the bloom he had picked earlier.

"Oh you," she swatted him away playfully, a blush rising on her cheeks. "We have a problem though," she chewed on her lip faintly.

"A problem?" he asked with concern quickly rising to his eyes.

"Yes," she smiled up at his worry, "the auctioneers have taken all of your tables and chairs. We have no place to sit and eat dinner, so I asked Zippy to pack us a basket."

He sighed in relief, pulling her back to him, thinking that if only all of their problems could be so minor, they'd be fine. "That's nothing, let's just go on a picnic then."

"I thought of that, or I thought we could go back to my flat. It is starting to get chilly and I should stop home to feed Shadow and Dash," she suggested, worry still showing on her face, as she didn't want to over step her bounds and assume that he wanted to come home with her.

Draco grabbed the basket in one hand and Ginny by the other, and headed for the floo. "Your place it is," he smirked to himself, images of her pillow covered bedroom dancing in his head.

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A/N: Thanks again! I've got a few things in mind but I'm not 100% sure where we're quite going to end up next. I'm approaching the end of the story I want to tell (just need to kill off Lucius!) but I still have a handful of scenes I'd like to play out. So now's the time to put in any requests... (Don't worry, I have a smug Draco/angry Harry planned already...)


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

My sincerest apologies for the lapse. :(

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After they had finished dinner, Draco and Ginny curled up on the couch together, snuggling and listening to the Wizarding Wireless Network's evening quidditch coverage. As the evening wore on, they slumped down further and further, until Draco was resting his head against the back of the couch, and Ginny had her head on his lap. Draco absentmindedly ran his fingers through Ginny's hair, as she rested with her eyes closed, drawing circles on his knee.

"Do you ever think about the future?" Draco asked, his head tilting back further and eyes also closed.

Ginny shifted, resting her cheek against his thigh and sighed. "Not really. I mean, beyond having to go to work tomorrow and Friday, I really don't get much beyond that."

His hand stilled in her hair, and he heard her sigh. _Perhaps now wasn't the time for an in depth relationship conversation_, he thought.

"We'll take it day by day then," he promised. "Are you planning on going to happy hour tomorrow?" He really didn't want her to spend an evening surrounded by her work buddies, but he also didn't want to stifle her friendships.

"Do you have a better offer?" she turned again so that she was looking up at him, and he lifted his head to look down at her. He leaned down to peck her gently on the lips.

"Now that depends," he teased lightly, "are you sending me home tonight or do I get to sleep here?"

"Just sleep?" she wrinkled her nose, "or are you asking for more?"

"I wouldn't turn down a repeat performance from last night," he shifted slightly but with meaning, "but in truth I'd really just like to sleep with you. Last night was the first in a long time that I slept through the night."

She nodded, but couldn't help teasing back a little bit, "Did the auction wizards take your bed too?"

"Actually, that reminds me," he picked up a few strands of her hair and began to distractedly braid it, "my better offer. How would you like to spend an enormous amount of money and help me decorate upstairs?"

"That does sound fun," she smiled up at him, "why don't I come up to the penthouse tomorrow after work and we can talk about what you'd like to see."

He leaned down and pecked her on the lips again; "All that I need to see in my penthouse is you. But why don't we go shopping tomorrow and Friday after work, and then Saturday I will take you on our first real date." He smiled into the kiss, and then moved so that she was forced to sit up. He rose and offered her a hand to help pull her from the couch. "Come on, it's bedtime," he smirked and she rolled her eyes.

"I made you no promises Draco," she reminded him, as she trailed behind him.

"No you didn't, but I made you one last night," he pulled her close and toppled them both onto the bed, causing her to erupt in giggles.

"A promise, what promise?" she tried to remember what he could have said amid their passion the night before. He kissed her deeply, with intent and meaning, and she remembered. "Ohhh," she moaned, realizing exactly what he meant.

"Exactly," he nodded at her smugly, his eyes dark with lust, as he dipped his head down, ready to devour her, one delicious lick at a time.

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Thursday morning when Ginny's alarm went off, she savored her stretch, then wiggled her way out from Draco's embrace and made her way to the bathroom. Draco shifted a bit and began to snore again, which made Ginny smile. They both truly did sleep more soundly together.

Before she flooed to work, she left him a note with instructions – to come up with a list of things they needed to purchase in the next two days, and to start to brainstorm the colors he'd like the rooms painted. She signed the note with XOXO and slipped it onto the nightstand next to him after giving him a brief goodbye kiss on the forehead. He stirred and mumbled to her, "That's not a real kiss," before drifting off again.

She whispered, "If I gave you a real kiss, I'd never make it to work," and then made her way into the office.

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When Ginny flooed to Draco's flat after work that night, she found him lounging on the floor of the master suite. She leaned against the doorframe for a few minutes, watching him touch his wand to the color sample book, and the room changing color to match his motions. He tapped a steel blue color for the ceiling and a slightly lighter blue gray for the walls, and she said, "Stop, that's perfect. It would be like sleeping outside under the stars every night."

He motioned for her to come sit with him, and she rested her head on his arm, as they lay on the floor side by side. "You're right, it's very soothi2ng, but not as soothing as having you here. How was your day at work?"

She smiled at the simple domesticity of his question, and replied, "It was good. I thought I saw Blaise at the office, but didn't get the chance to talk to him. Is this all you've done all day? Lay around on your back? I can see that the first thing we need to find for you is a bed, if that's the case."

He leaned into smell her hair, and grinned a bit. "Miss Weasley, I will not succumb to your dirty innuendos concerning me on my back and a bed. In fact, I've been quite busy today. I visited the paint store to get this color sample book, and done the painting charms on most of the rooms. I drafted a list, as per your instructions," he rolled his eyes at her then, but continued, "I made dinner reservations for us tonight for after we visit a few shops in the area. I've contacted my family's elves in the Paris flat and asked them to make the house ready for our date on Saturday. And finally I spoke with your father about Sunday."

She rolled back so that she could look him in the eye and drawled back at him, "Mr. Malfoy, I am impressed, you have been busy." She narrowed her eyes at him and then asked, "But my father? What was that about?"

"I wanted to know if it would be a problem for you to miss Sunday dinner. It turns out that your mother is still at Bill's, so dinner is cancelled. We've been invited to have brunch at Theo's that day, but I didn't want to accept if we would be rushed," he pecked her on the top of her head, hoping that the answer would placate her.

She relaxed again, and nodded to herself. "Yes, it will be nice to see everyone. Mum is still helping out Fleur with little baby Louis, so I'm completely free all day." She narrowed her eyes again at him, "Wait, did you say we're going to Paris on Saturday? Merlin, Draco, nothing like going overboard for our first date!"

Hugging her tightly he made her another promise, "Gin, I know you don't like to talk about the future, but one of the things I see in my future is traveling the world. And I figure if that is what I want to do for the rest of my life, we might as well get started immediately. Now, if you're not going to take advantage of having me flat on my back, why don't we head out? I figure we can make it to at least two stores before our dinner reservations." He rose and pulled her to her feet as well, before asking, "Why don't we walk? We're so close to the Alley, and it's a beautiful night out."

She smiled up at him as they made their way out of the flat, "You just want to corner me in the lift again, don't you?"

XXXXX

Over the next several days, Ginny and Draco were incredibly busy. On Thursday evening they visited several of the furniture stores in the Alley, outfitting a significant portion of the penthouse. They easily located most of the large pieces that Draco needed to replace; he was surprised at how much he enjoyed shopping with her. They worked well as a team, and Draco pretended not to notice when Ginny picked out a dining room table that had a built in charm to expand to a size large enough to fit the entire extended Weasley family. In turn, Ginny pretended that she didn't realize that the colors he had painted the guest room matched her current bedroom furniture perfectly. After a successful evening, they chose to skip their dinner reservations and instead took their meals back to Ginny's flat for a repeat of the previous night's picnic.

Friday while Ginny was at work, Draco spent some time tying up loose ends at Malfoy Industries, making the final steps towards the official transfer to an employee owned company. The board of directors had been doing fine without either of the Malfoy men since Lucius had grown ill, and it heartened Draco to see that the business would not only survive, but also thrive without them. Draco stopped at the penthouse briefly, to check in on Zippy and Zinnia and their progress in moving over the few items he had kept from the manor, as well as the previous evening's purchases. He flooed to the firm to meet Ginny after work that evening, and they shared a light meal at the same muggle bistro where they had shared their disastrous "thank you" lunch. This time the waitress didn't bother to flirt with Draco, as it was obvious that he only had eyes for Ginny. They had purchased almost all of the furniture the night before, and that evening the biggest debate was over the colors of sheets, towels and curtains. Even then they agreed on most things, but they simply could not agree on the colors of the throw pillows for the couches in the library. Unbeknownst to them, a photographer for the Prophet snapped a shot of them through the window, Draco laughing as Ginny shook a red pillow from side to side at him, she laughing back at his response to her suggestion.

They took a portkey to Paris early on Saturday morning, spending the day doing a smattering of the traditional tourist stops – strolling along the Seine, admiring the cathedrals, shopping in little boutiques, picking up little presents to take back for Lila, Posey and both sets of twins. That evening, instead of fighting the crowds at any of the fine restaurants, the elves made a meal to rival the best of the French chefs. The couple sat on the balcony, enjoying the starlight view of the Eiffel Tower, a single candle flickering between the two of them. As the moon rose, they sat in silence, enjoying the companionship until Ginny's head started to droop against Draco's shoulder. He lifted her gently, and made their way into the master suite of the flat, proving to them both that it didn't matter where they slept, as long as they were together.

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In the meantime, the Saturday edition of the Prophet ran a column that held special interest for many in the wizarding world. Entitled "_Malfoy off the Market?_" for most of the readers, it was idle romantic gossip concerning two members of well-known wizarding families. The picture of Draco and Ginny laughing over the choice of throw pillows looped in scene on the page, bringing a smile to the face of several readers, including Arthur, who could spot a twinkle in his daughter's eye that had been missing for years. As he finished the article, he folded the paper and put it aside, a happiness washing over him as he finished his breakfast tea. He knew that the two women he loved most in the world were both far from him in France, but he felt nothing but warmth in his heart that morning.

Across London, a different wizard read the same article over his morning tea.

"_Since his return to London, Draco Malfoy has been surrounded by rumors and speculation in almost every area of his life. He has been seen in the company of several different legal wizards, and research has confirmed the recent sale of several of the Malfoy family's foreign properties. In exchange, a penthouse has been purchased in his name in a refurbished loft building in London. Rumors swirl around the fate of Malfoy Industries as well, where the Malfoy heir has been suspiciously absent in light of his father's ill health. However, the area that most interests our readers is his personal life. _

_ Widely considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the wizarding world, the younger Malfoy's return to the London social scene brought great anticipation and excitement to debutantes and society witches alike. However, it appears as if a few simple weeks after his return, he may be spoken for. It has been reported that while his main social activities revolve around several close friends from his Slytherin house days, surprisingly it seems that he prefers to spend his one on one time with a Gryffindor. _

_ Ginevra Weasley may best be known as Harry Potter's ex, the reasons for their breakup remaining a mystery to even this intrepid journalist. It seems that Miss Weasley shares a taste for powerful wizards with her sister-in-law, Hermione Weasley (formerly Granger). Much to the chagrin of witches the world round Miss Weasley has been seen shopping with Malfoy while in the process of setting up his new residence. (See above photo taken during a recent excursion in Diagon Alley.) Speculation abounds concerning how serious their relationship is, but a close friend of the couple has been overheard stating: "Of course they're in love, can't you see how the Twittering Amortias are attracted to them when they're together?" _

_ It remains to be seen if this relationship of two former enemies can last, but the situation begs for answers to two questions – has the Weasley family started to save their galleons to pay for a wedding to a Malfoy? And if so, what does Harry Potter think about it?_"

The answer to the second question was answered swiftly that morning, as Harry finished reading the article and shouted to his empty flat, "Oh hell no!" He crumbled up the newspaper and threw it into the flames of the fireplace and stormed out, determined to put an end to it.

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**A/N:** I have struggled with this chapter since my last update. I really knew what I wanted to say, just not how to get there - had a whole chapter written on the Paris trip, and a whole lot more on their shopping trip, but just wasn't happy with it. I'm not exactly delighted with this either, but I think I need to just suck it up, get over it and post, then move on the plot to finally wrap this up. In the meantime, I've done a Draco/Ginny oneshot called "Muggle Magic" and have another plot bunny nagging me for a second multi-chapter D/G fic. I'm sorry again everyone. :(  
(Be kind, remember this is my first attempt at fic ever.)


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:**I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

Thank you to everyone for being patient. I know this is short, but it's better than nothing, right?  
(Special thanks to icthestrals and hogwartsismydrug - you're great. *wink*)

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Sunday morning Draco and Ginny reluctantly left the Paris flat, Ginny saying a fond farewell to the house elves with the promise to come back and visit soon. The pair apparated back to Ginny's, checking in on Shadow and Dash, and sorting through the souvenirs for the children prior to leaving for brunch at the Nott's. While Ginny freshened up a bit, Draco lounged on her couch and flipped through the weekend newspapers. When he turned to the page that held the magical image of the two of them shopping, he shot to his feet in a rage. His hands shook as he quickly skimmed the article, snorting to himself as he read the rubbish sprinkled through the truth, _most eligible bachelor_, and _intrepid journalist_, and_ Twittering Amortia. _Ginny came back into her living room and with a new-found ease comforted him.

"Draco, I know we're in a bit of a rush, but you could have had a seat," she murmured as she rubbed her hands across his back. She could tell that something in the news had upset him, but didn't yet know what.

"Look at this, this, this rubbish!" he shook the paper at her, making it impossible for her to see what had caused his anger. Slowly she peeled the thin paper out of his fingers and read it for herself. She too was upset, but her anger displayed itself in a red flush, quickly creeping up her pale skin as she read the lies she saw, _taste for powerful wizards, _and_ save their galleons, _and bloody_ Harry Potter. _Of the two of them, Ginny had the most right to be upset, as it insulted her and dredged up old wounds, but it was Draco, out of a sense of both privacy and protection, that was still seething with rage. Quietly, Ginny folded the paper and put it aside. She took Draco's hands and forced him to look her in the eyes.

"Draco, I know that this is upsetting to us both. I know that you hate when your family is a topic of gossip. And that's just what this is - gossip. It means nothing, and changes nothing between us," she spoke with an even and modulated tone, and even in his fury he could tell that she was struggling to hold herself together. Her quick temper and her passion were among the many things he loved about her, and the realization that this steely calm was in fact worse than her tantrums, chilled him.

"That twit at the paper will be taken care of. I vow to you, she will rue the day she said those things about you. About us," he squeezed her hands and then pulled her close, his turn to soothe while rubbing his hands gently across her back. He heard a sound muffled in his shirt, and momentarily thought it was a sob. When no further noises rose from the small figure in his arms, he pulled back to find her smirking, instead of tearful. "What's so funny?" he questioned, suspiciously.

"Really, Draco? Rue the day? Who talks like that?" she giggled, and snorted again. He grabbed her by the sides and picked her up, tickling her as he enveloped her in his embrace.

"I do, Miss Weasley, and don't you forget who you're dealing with," he teased; looking at her with eyes that conveyed such warmth that she could almost see the smile deep in his soul.

"I will never forget whom I'm dealing with Draco, that I promise," she sighed, and then continued, "We should look at the bright side of this article I guess."

"Bright side?" he puzzled, "I can't even imagine what you're talking about." He nuzzled her neck, kissing and becoming thoroughly distracted by the scents of cinnamon and vanilla. "Merlin, do you always smell this delicious?"

Ginny struggled away and landed on her feet with a slight hop. Smacking him away, "Stop that, we'll be late for brunch, Mister Short Attention Span." She picked up the packages for Posey and Lila, and continued, "Yes, the bright side. My father and brothers have apparently accepted you, don't you think? I mean if they didn't and they saw that article, I'm not sure who'd be at the door first to hex you."

They both paused and looked at each other before nodding, smiling and simultaneously agreeing, "George."

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Later that afternoon, after the delicious (but slightly over-salted in Draco's opinion) brunch had been cleared away, the adults reassembled on the back terrace, reclining with their drinks, watching Lila and Posey play in the yard with the special Puffy Pets that had been brought from France. (Blaise having glared pointedly at Draco as Lila squealed "It's Pierre the Poodle!" at top volume.)

"Thank you again for the invitation Pansy, and you too Theo. You have such a lovely home, and all of the food was wonderful," Ginny commented again graciously, still marveling a bit that she was socializing with four of the best known Slytherins from her time at Hogwarts.

"Nonsense, Ginny, we should thank you for joining us. Draco mentioned how important your family's Sunday meals are" Pansy smiled warmly to her new friend over a mimosa. "Is your mother still visiting your sister in law?"

Ginny sighed a bit, "Yes, but she should be back soon. From what Dad has told me, little Louis was quite the beast. Fleur's girls take after her, and are small and fair, but I'm afraid that we have another broad shouldered Weasley boy on our hands."

Noticing that Draco had begun to pale at the thought of what Ginny had been implying, Blaise rose and lifted his glass. "Not that the pains of childbirth aren't a thrilling topic," he smiled warmly down to Luna, who Ginny noticed had been drinking juice sans champagne that morning. "But Luna and I have an announcement to make."

Ginny watched wide eyed as Luna looked up to Blaise, love beaming from her eyes. Luna subconsciously moved a hand to her stomach, and Ginny gasped quietly. She looked over to Draco and tried to communicate to him silently her theory concerning their best friends.

Draco realized that Ginny was staring at him with intent. Once she had his attention, she looked over to Luna's hand, resting gently on her blouse, and then back at him with meaning. _Merlin, she's trying to tell me something with her eyes_, he thought. _Something about Luna, and her stomach_, he pondered, as again Ginny looked pointedly at the glass in Luna's hand, now empty of juice. _Her glass is empty_, Draco thought, _maybe she's telling me that Luna thinks that Pansy's house elves over-salt everything too_. Confident in his discovery, he nodded discretely back to Ginny, thrilled that they had already mastered the silent communication he had so envied between his parents.

Blaise continued, oblivious to his friend's bewilderment, "Luna and I are in love. Which really isn't the announcement," he paused again, after kissing her on the head. Ginny scooted forward a bit, bracing herself to hear the words that she and Draco would never announce. "Luna is going to move in with me, and we are going to revise Lila's custody agreement to reflect that we are parents, _together_."

Pansy rose and rushed to hug Luna, "I'm thrilled that we'll have you in the neighborhood!"

Luna hugged Pansy back, and looked over her shoulder to Ginny, nodding imperceptibly to confirm her friend's suspicions. She then raised a finger to her lips, requesting that the secret be kept. Ginny rose to offer her congratulations as well but moved towards Blaise. "Congratulations. I can't tell you how happy this makes me, truly."

Blaise looked down at Ginny, and could see the subtle sadness in her eyes, and he knew that she knew the true reason for their celebration. "Thank you, I can't tell you how much it means to hear those words from _you_. Lila considers you a second mother, and I hope that you will still be a very active part in _all_ of our lives, even if you're not in the same building."

"Oh, that's right! I saw you at the office the other day!" Ginny pieced two and two together; "you were there to put Luna's flat on the market."

Luna came up to her best friend, and squeezed her elbow gently. "It's true. I wanted to talk to you ahead of time, but you've been so busy with Draco." Noting Ginny's blush, Luna pressed on, whispering in her friend's ear, "I have to say that even with everything that is going on, and all of the changes that I'm facing, I wouldn't have thought of moving if I weren't confident that you'll be ok. We're not alone anymore, neither of us."

Ginny turned to Luna and enveloped her in an enormous hug, whispering back, "Luna, I'm thrilled for you. About ALL of it, truly, truly thrilled. You deserve every happiness, and with Blaise you'll have a family."

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**A/N:** I promise I'll try to update soon. The next chapter is the big Harry confrontation, so we'll see...


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **I own nothing but the plot and make no profit. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and subscribed. It's not wanting to let you down that is pushing me to finish this.

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Later on Sunday evening, as Draco and Ginny were both reading in bed, he noticed that she was restless and unsettled. Putting down his book, he asked, "You've been quiet tonight. Is everything ok?" He moved closer as she put down her book as well and came to curl up against him, resting her head upon his chest.

She sighed deeply. "I don't know Draco, I just feel like all of my friends are moving on without me." Smoothing down her hair, he opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but she continued, preventing his words. "I have no right to be jealous of Luna, and everything she has. And I'm ashamed of myself that I am." She snuggled in closer to him, refusing to look up at him. .

"Why would you be jealous of Luna?" he asked, hoping that some levity would make her feel better. "I hope you don't mean Blaise. Trust me, Blaise is nothing to be jealous of. I've never met a creature with smellier feet, and he's horrible about leaving his socks all over the place. We used to threaten to send him down to the Hufflepuffs if he didn't pick up after himself. Trust me," he repeated, "you have nothing to be jealous of there."

Eventually she looked up to him, unshed tears making her eyes glisten. "Should Luna be jealous of me then? Because I have you instead?"

He grinned broadly, and puffed out his chest the best he could with her leaning against him. "Absolutely. She _should_ be jealous. I'm _awesome_. I'm a Malfoy." He smiled into her hair as he leaned down and kissed her crown.

She chuckled at him, but grew grim again quickly. "You don't know what it's like Draco. Every witch hears from the time she's small how her life should be. There's a path we're supposed to follow, fighting in a war not withstanding. Meet a nice wizard at Hogwarts, get married, and create little witches and wizards. I can't do that. My nice wizard turned out to be a big lie. I'm the last of my friends without a public relationship, and the only sound of tiny feet I have in my future are Shadow and Dash."

"Don't forget Zippy and Zinnia," he tried again to tease her out of her sadness. "As a rule house elves are quiet, but they do have tiny feet." She buried her face deeper into the crook of his arm, so he tried another tact. "Ginevra, please look at me." He tugged at her until she was looking in his eyes, and then made a vow to her, "I swear to you that I don't want an heir. I might not be a _nice_ wizard, but I've never cheated. Ask Pansy, she's my oldest female friend, and she'll vouch for me. And as for a public relationship, I'd have you living upstairs with me already if I didn't think it would freak you out to contemplate that step." He leaned down and kissed her quickly on the nose and continued, "I promise you, that I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me. I'm just lucky that you're just as awesome as I am," his eyes full of the smile that creased his face.

She finally smiled back at him, but he could still see the sadness that lurked behind her eyes. "I'm lucky to have you Draco. And I should apologize in advance. I'll try very hard to not be jealous of Luna's pregnancy, but I can't make any guarantees." She curled back into his arms, content that for one of first times, she'd had an honest conversation with a man that she loved.

Draco held her tightly. He meant what he had said; he hoped that she realized that he wanted her to move in as soon as possible. He frowned a bit knowing that she'd avoided further discussion on that topic, but frowned more when the words she'd uttered sunk in fully. "Wait, Luna's pregnant?"

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Monday afternoon, Arthur left Kingsley's ministry office and leaned against the wall in the hallway. His meeting with the Minister of Magic had been enlightening, but there were things Arthur knew that he needed to do. Things he never thought he'd have to, things that years ago if you'd suggested them, he'd have thought you mad. He steeled himself, shook off a bit of trepidation, and went back to his own office. If anyone had overheard him muttering to himself, they'd never believe the words Arthur Weasley uttered. "Yes, I'll floo Draco. He'll know what to do. He'll help."

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Tuesday evening after their yoga class, four witches poured through the door of the Leaky Cauldron, full of laughter. Heads turned, not just at the sound of the joy in their voices, but because it was such an oddly matched yet beautiful group of witches. As they approached one of the few empty tables left, towards the back of the pub, Hermione's voice rose above the others, assuring her new friend with a giggle, "I promise you Pansy, next week it will all be easier."

Plopping herself down into one of the chairs, Pansy chuckled back, "Merlin I hope so. Though, I suspect that Theo will be pleased with any flexibility I gain from this."

She winked at Luna, who blushed a bit before tilting her head in a concerned query, "Has Theo been talking to Blaise?"

All four of the women laughed again, leaning their heads in together to continue their whispers and giggles. Gradually, the rest of the pub's patrons came to ignore the table, save for one set of eyes, invisible to them, glaring at them from the corner of the bar.

After placing their orders, Ginny excused herself to go freshen up. The other three nodded as she rose from the table, but continued with their discussion, trading theories full of excitement and anticipation at the thought that a new magical school could open for their children in the near future. Of the remaining seated witches, Hermione was the most excited, of course, but she was also the first to notice that Ginny had been gone far too long.

In the meantime, the silent and invisible watcher had risen from the bar when Ginny broke off from the table and moved in the direction of the loos, down a poorly lit hallway. After Ginny had exited the Ladies' and started back into the main dining room, a hand captured her by the elbow and spun her back into the darkness. Ginny gasped and struggled as a voice growled into her ear, "So this is what it has come to, has it? You've sunk so low that you're spending time with that Slytherin slut in public? Has Malfoy turned you into just another one of his whores?"

Fighting against her unknown assailant, Ginny wrestled her arm free and in doing so, tugged off Harry's invisibility cloak. The strength she used to break free caused her to tumble to the floor in the pub, and her gasp of "Harry!" was loud enough for the eyes of every patron in the Cauldron to turn towards her for the second time that evening.

"How could you do this to me Ginny? How could you betray me, betray everything we stood together for, like this?" he snarled down at her, fury so great that he didn't notice the silence and stillness that had settled over the rest of the room.

Across the pub, Hermione rose to her feet, ready to draw her wand, just as she noticed four wizards enter the room, two from each entrance, matching duos of a redhead paired with a Slytherin. As her eyes met her husband's, George gestured for her to sit, that he and Blaise, as well as Draco and Arthur, had the situation under control. Not that Ginny needed their backup, but they were there just in case.

Ire rose in Ginny, so powerful and full of electricity that her hair started to raise from her shoulders and crackle around her. "Betray you? BETRAY YOU?" shouted as she climbed back to her feet, and at that moment every wizard in the room knew that they'd never cross the youngest Weasley. (While every witch leaned forward, hoping finally to learn the juiciest gossip in the wizarding world in decades.)

"Ginny, you can't do this to yourself. You're in denial. Even after all this time, I'll take you back. I saw that trash in the paper about you, that horrible picture of the two of you, and so I went to the Ministry," he paused, green eyes boring down at her, as he rubbed the familiar scar. In the years after the war, touching the scar had become a habitual quirk for him, one Ginny recognized as something he'd do when he was losing control. Something from when he was at his peak, the thing that made him unique, famous, the greatest wizard in the world. "I went to Kingsley to ask him if he'd take the stupid protective barriers off, so that you could see me. Don't you know that it's killed me these years, being in the same room as you, seeing you with other wizards, with that, that bigot," he spat, looking up and seeing Draco barely being held back by Arthur.

"It's killed you Harry? Killed you? Really!" Ginny shouted, and the air around her cracked with the power of her anger. "That's a hilarious choice of words considering that I ALMOST DIED." She laughed bitterly, a sound that chilled the room to the bone. "I loved you Harry, I would have done anything for you. I loved you from the first time I saw you, and even though I knew what you were doing, even when we were in school, I loved you. I knew about Cho, and Parvati, and both of the girls from Beauxbatons. But I forgave you anyway. I figured that it was because I was younger, or you were waiting for me to grow up, or you were afraid of my brothers. So I made excuses, I blamed myself, I forgave you, because I loved you." She shook her head sadly, but the tension remained.

"Love, you loved me? What do you know about love? How can you even say that?" Harry shouted back in her face, his jealousy and rage causing him to lose control. "Don't you want to know why you can see me now? Not because Kingsley agreed to drop the barriers. By the time I got to the ministry, they had already fallen. Kingsley told me that the barrier spell was cast to only protect you until you fell in love again." Harry spat again, "You don't know what love is. If you think you loved me, you ever loved me, then you couldn't have done this," he sputtered, "If you have the same heart in your chest that loved me, it would never let you fall in love with THAT." He gestured at Draco, who stood by, now terrifyingly still as a stature, while his steel grey eyes shot hatred back at his rival.

Ginny followed Harry's eyes, and saw the faces of the two men she loved the most in the world, her father and Draco. Sensing their power, their unconditional love and support, Ginny calmed. Her hair rested gently upon her shoulders and a single tear fell down her cheek. She had never looked more beautiful, hair tussled, and cheeks flushed, eyes bright with tears. She reached up and put her hand on Harry's cheek, and Arthur held up a hand to stop Draco from crossing the room to her. "Let her do this on her own lad," he murmured.

"But I did love you Harry. And we might have been together for a lifetime. But we'll never know, because my lifetime almost ended because of you. I might have been able to keep forgiving you for cheating on me. I'm not stupid Harry, I knew that even after we graduated, that there were few witches you'd say no to. Even after we bought the flat together, that there were witches who didn't respect our love that just wanted to say that they'd been with the famous Harry Potter. If you truly loved me, you wouldn't have let those witches be so disrespectful of me as your partner. Because while what you did made you feel better, helped your ego, helped you forget the war, all it did was kill my soul. Every time you came back to me smelling of a strange perfume, or I found lipstick on your robes, a little part of me died inside," she smiled sadly at the bespectacled wizard, but it was not a smile of kindness.

"Ginny, I would have changed. I swear – " he protested, leaning his hand into her, relishing the warmth and touch that he had missed for so long.

"Harry, it's to late. You ruined me. I almost died. And because of the curse the Romanian witches put on you and Ron, Hermione got sick too. It wasn't just our relationship you ruined, you pulled them into it too." George stepped forward unconsciously, but a hand on his shoulder from Blaise prevented him from moving on. Ginny continued, "And even though I survived, I can't have children. Did you know that?" Her voice rose to a higher pitch, one that betrayed the hysteria that was coming upon her. "That even if I had found another wizard, in all the years I was alone, that I knew they'd leave me if they found out I can't have a baby?" She turned around to the silent room, holding her arms wide to the audience, "That's right everyone, Harry's cursed. And his curse means I will never be able to tell my parents that they'll be grandparents. He ruined me. He's your hero, but he's my curse." The pitch of her voice reaching a frightening peak, she crumbled then, down to her knees, collapsing as the sobs wracked her body. Draco was by her side as fast as quicksilver, blocking off Harry's access to her, wrapping himself around her.

Arthur strode across the room and stood between Harry and the fallen couple. "Let her go boy." He shook his head sadly; "She's lost to you now. She's been lost for years. Now that she's found herself again, she's found love with someone else. Let her go."

Harry looked around the pub, for a familiar face, for some support. His eyes met George's, who stepped forward again, but this time Blaise was his backup as a menacing threat. He looked to Hermione, who wouldn't look up at him, instead wrapping a protective arm around a clearly shaken Luna. When he looked down at the witch he once loved, sobbing on the floor, being comforted by another, his heart broke. It had taken him years, and the realization that there wasn't a witch or wizard in the room who was on his side, to acknowledge his wrong. Draco turned then, and growled at him, "Go, and get out of here now, I won't tell you again."

With a pop the hero of the wizarding world apparated from the Leaky Cauldron.

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**A/N:** There's not a lot left before I wrap this up. Dealing Lucius of course, and Draco being snarky, and an epilogue. I'm sorry it's dragging out this long! You've all been really patient and I can't thank you enough for the feedback and reviews. :)


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